North Atlantic Right Whale Calving Seasons Archive

The endangered North Atlantic right whale population has been in decline since 2010. There are approximately 370 individuals remaining, including about 70 reproductively active females. Human impacts continue to threaten the survival of this species.

A number of government agencies and partners conduct surveys to monitor the locations and health of North Atlantic right whales during their calving season, which begins in mid-November and runs through mid-April. Many of the images in this gallery were captured during survey efforts by the Army Corps of Engineers, Coast Guard, Navy, NOAA, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Clearwater Marine Aquarium, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and New England Aquarium.

Every identified North Atlantic right whale is assigned a four-digit number in the Right Whale Catalog. Researchers often assign names to individual whales that have a unique physical feature or a strong story in connection to a community or habitat where they were seen.

Each photo in this gallery was either taken from a safe, legal distance of more than 500 yards away from the whales, or under NOAA permit #20556-1 or #21371-04. If you use a photo from this page, we encourage you to include the permit number associated with it, which is found in the photo's caption.

For information on the current calving season, visit our North Atlantic right whale calving season web page.