North Atlantic Right Whale Calving Season 2025
There are approximately 370 individuals remaining, including about 70 reproductively active females. With so few of these whales left, researchers closely monitor the Southeast for new offspring during the annual right whale calving season.
Every single female North Atlantic right whale and calf are vital to this endangered species’ recovery. Researchers have identified five calves so far this calving season.
North Atlantic right whales are dying faster than they can reproduce, largely due to human causes. Since 2017, the whales have been experiencing an Unusual Mortality Event, which has resulted in more than 20 percent of the population being sick, injured, or killed. The primary causes of the Unusual Mortality Event are entanglements in fishing gear and collisions with boats and ships.
Researchers estimate there are about 70 reproductively active females remaining. These females are producing fewer calves each year, which impacts the ability of the species to recover. Female right whales become sexually mature at about age 10. They give birth to a single calf after a year-long pregnancy. Three years is considered a normal or healthy interval between right whale births. But now, on average, they are having calves every 6 to 10 years. Biologists believe the additional stress from entanglements, vessel strike injuries, and changes in prey availability due to climate change all likely contribute to right whales calving less often, even when the females survive the event.
With the current number of females and the necessary resting time between births, 20 newborns in a calving season would be considered a relatively productive year. However, given the estimated rate of human-caused mortality and serious injury, we need approximately 50 or more calves per year for many years to stop the decline and allow for recovery. The only solution is to significantly reduce human-caused mortality and injuries, as well as stressors on reproduction.
Meet the Mothers and Calves of the 2025 Season
Every identified North Atlantic right whale has an assigned four-digit number in the Right Whale Catalog. Researchers assign names to whales that have a unique physical feature or a strong story in connection to a community or habitat where they were seen.
You can view mother-calf photos and stories from previous right whale calving seasons on our archive page.
Black Heart (#3540)
On December 30, 2024, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission aerial survey team saw right whale #3540 “Black Heart” and her calf approximately 2 miles off Ponte Vedra, Florida. Black Heart is named for the heart-shaped bare spot at the front of her callosity. She is 20 years old and this is her second known calf. Her first calf, born 12 years ago, was not seen again after its birth year.
Black Heart was seen as recently as December 4, 2024 off South Carolina without a calf. The timing of recent sightings makes her new calf less than 1 month old.
Caterpillar (#3503)
On December 30, 2024, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission aerial survey team saw right whale #3503 “Caterpillar” and her calf almost 6 miles off Ponte Vedra, Florida. Her name comes from a large caterpillar-shaped scar on her lower right flank that she received as a result of a vessel strike when she was 2 years old.
Caterpillar was seen as recently as December 8, 2024 off Georgia without a calf. The timing of recent sightings makes her new calf less than 3 weeks old.
She is 20 years old and this is her first known calf. The average age of first calving is anywhere from 7 to 10 years old, so 20 years old is much older than normal. It is possible she has been pregnant in the past and not been able to carry to term as a result of her severe injuries.
In November 2022, researchers spotted Caterpillar and another female right whale, Smoke, as they were migrating towards the Southeast calving grounds. They deployed a drone to capture aerial footage of the whales and attached a suction cup tag to Smoke. NOAA Fisheries and our partners use the latest technologies and methods to monitor and learn more about this endangered species.
#4540
On December 18, 2024, aerial and vessel teams from HDR, Inc. found first-time right whale mother #4540 and her calf. They saw the pair about 7 miles off Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge in southern Virginia. Right whale #4540 is 12 years old and this is her first documented calf. Her mother is Juno (#1612), whose calf from last calving season was struck by a vessel and ultimately died from those injuries.
Minus One (#2430)
On December 9, 2024, Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute researchers saw right whale #2430 “Minus One” and her calf about 6 miles off of Amelia Island, Florida. Minus One was first seen in 1994, which makes her at least 31 years old. She was initially named for scars that look like a “-1,” though they are less visible now.
She has three known previous calves, all of which are female. Her 2007 calf, #3730 “Spoon,” has been seen in the last year and is of reproductive age, but has no known calves of her own. Minus One’s 2010 calf, #4030, was last seen in 2017 and is presumed dead. Her most recent calf from the 2021 calving season, #5190, was last seen in 2022.
Nauset (#2413)
On December 1, 2024, the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute saw right whale #2413 “Nauset” and her calf about 6 miles off Sapelo Island, Georgia. Nauset is 31 years old and this is her fifth known calf. She is named for the front section of her callosity pattern, which resembles the Cape Cod lighthouse.
Nauset’s first known calf, born in 2005, was female #3513 “Canaveral.” Canaveral had her first calf in 2013, but that calf was never cataloged and Canaveral was not seen again after 2015. Nauset next calved in 2011 and again in 2013. Nauset’s 2011 calf was not cataloged and presumed dead given the 2-year gap between the births; a short gap between calves usually means the previous calf died at a young age. Nauset’s 2013 calf was female #4313 “Monomoy,” who was last seen in 2023. She has not yet had her first known calf. Nauset’s fourth calf, a male (#5113), was born in 2021 and has not been seen since 2022.
Unidentified Mom
The 2025 calving season's first mother-calf pair was seen on November 24, 2025, nearly 5 miles off Cape Romain, South Carolina. A member of the public reported this pair to the NOAA hotline (877) WHALE-HELP ((877) 942-5343). At this time, researchers are unable to identify this female right whale from the available photographs. However, as researchers see more right whales this season, they will make every attempt using photo identification techniques to identify her.
Right Whale Reproduction
The right whale calving season begins in mid-November and runs through mid-April. Female right whales become sexually mature at about age 10. They give birth to a single calf after a year-long pregnancy. Three years is considered a normal or healthy interval between right whale births. But now, females are having calves every 7 to 10 years, on average. Biologists believe that the stress caused by entanglement in fishing gear and collisions with boats and ships is one of the reasons that females are calving less often or not at all.
Calving Area
Each fall, some right whales travel more than 1,000 miles from their feeding areas in the waters off New England and Canada to the shallow, coastal waters of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and northeastern Florida. The southeastern United States is the only known area where right whales regularly give birth and nurse their young.
NOAA Fisheries has designated two areas as critical habitat for North Atlantic right whales, including off the southeast U.S. coast from Cape Fear, North Carolina, to below Cape Canaveral, Florida—an important nursery and calving area.
Monitoring Right Whales with Aerial Surveys
A number of government agencies fund and conduct right whale aerial surveys between North Carolina and northeast Florida during the calving season. These agencies include the Army Corps of Engineers, Coast Guard, Navy, NOAA, and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. All of these aerial survey teams:
- Monitor the seasonal presence of right whales and their habitat use
- Alert mariners, boaters, and partners to the whales’ locations
- Monitor calf production
- Provide sighting support for biopsy efforts
- Detect and respond to reports of dead, injured, and entangled whales
Other key partners in monitoring the right whale calving area include Clearwater Marine Aquarium, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and the New England Aquarium.
Collecting Genetic Samples to Identify Right Whales
Boat-based teams from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission collect biopsy samples from right whale calves and other right whales that haven’t been previously sampled. You can think of these biopsies as similar to blood samples you provide to personal genetic DNA testing companies to learn about who you are and your family relationships. Identifying as many individual right whales each year as possible is crucial for monitoring the population; data on individual whales are used in models that estimate the total number of right whales.
How You Can Help: Go Slow and Stay Alert for Right Whales
Calving season is an especially vulnerable period for these whales. Despite their enormous size, North Atlantic right whales can be very difficult to spot from a boat due to their dark color and lack of a dorsal fin. This is especially true in poor weather and sea state or low light conditions. Mother-calf pairs are at heightened risk for vessel strikes because these individuals spend nearly all their time at or close to the water surface, but are difficult to see. Most boaters who reported striking a right whale didn’t see the whale prior to colliding with it.
Right whales have been injured or killed by all types and sizes of vessels—from recreational boats to large ocean-going ships. Additionally, disturbance from watercraft or aircraft could affect behaviors critical to the health and survival of the species. It is extremely important for all mariners and boaters to slow down, stay alert, and give these whales plenty of room.
Go Slow—Whales Below
Slower speeds are known to reduce the severity of impacts when collisions with whales occur and may provide boat and vessel operators an opportunity to avoid a collision. For most vessels 65 feet or longer, mandatory 10-knot seasonal management areas went into effect on November 1 between Rhode Island and Florida. Additional seasonal management areas off Massachusetts become active on January 1 each year. NOAA Fisheries strongly urges mariners operating vessels less than 65 feet in length to transit at or under 10 knots within active seasonal management areas, in light of the danger posed to right whales by smaller vessels and NOAA Fisheries' proposed changes to the vessel speed regulations.
In advance of your trip, check the NOAA Right Whale Sightings Advisory System or the Whale Alert app for active right whale safety zones, including seasonal and dynamic management areas, and right whale slow zones, and recent whale sightings near your location.
Learn more about U.S. vessel speed regulations and programs for right whales
All boaters from Maine to Virginia, or interested parties, can sign up for email or text notifications about the latest right whale slow zones.
Be On the Lookout
Post a lookout. Watch for black objects, white water, and splashes. Avoid boating in the dark or in rough seas, when visibility is poor.
Give Right Whales Space
Federal law requires vessels, paddle boarders, and aircraft (including drones) to stay at least 500 yards (five football fields) away from right whales. Any vessel within 500 yards of a right whale must depart immediately at a safe, slow speed. These restrictions are in place to prevent accidental collisions between right whales and boats as well as to protect the whales from disturbance.
To report a right whale sighting from North Carolina to Florida, or a dead, injured, or entangled whale, contact NOAA Fisheries at (877) WHALE-HELP ((877) 942-5343) or the Coast Guard on marine VHF channel 16. Please report sightings from Virginia to Maine by calling (866) 755-6622. If safe, and from the legally required 500-yard distance, please take a photo and note the GPS coordinates to share with biologists.