March 26, 2018 by Russ Bynum
The winter calving season for
critically endangered right whales has nearly ended with zero newborns spotted
in the past four months—a reproductive drought that scientists who study the
fragile species haven't seen in three decades.
Survey flights to look for
mother-and-calf pairs off the Atlantic coasts of Georgia and Florida are
scheduled to wrap up when the month ends Saturday. Right whales typically give
birth off the southeastern U.S. seacoast between December and late March.
Researchers have recorded between one and 39 births each year since the flights
began in 1989.
Now experts are looking at the
possibility of a calving season without any confirmed births.
"It's a pivotal moment for
right whales," said Barb Zoodsma, who oversees the right whale recovery
program in the U.S. Southeast for the National Marine Fisheries Service.
"If we don't get serious and figure this out, it very well could be the
beginning of the end."
Zoodsma said she doesn't expect
any last-minute calf sightings this week.
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