When you think of the season in which animals bear young, chances are that many of you think of spring.
However, for animals such as whales, winter is a popular time for birthing.
During the winter, pregnant humpback whales that spend the summer feeding off our shores head south to the Caribbean to give birth.
Other types of East Coast whales also head south for the winter to give birth. Just like human "snowbirds," many North Atlantic right whales migrate south from the Gulf of Maine to the coasts of Georgia and Florida. Many right whales will give birth and spend the winter in these warm waters.
With a worldwide population of only 400, giving birth (called "calving" in whales) is a big event for the right whale species. Last year produced a bumper crop of 39 right whale calves (an all-time high!), and scientists are hoping this year's calving season is equally as fruitful.
Each right whale calf born is a precious commodity and holds hope for the eventual recovery of the species. However, reproduction is a slow process in right whales. The gestation period is 12 months, and a female will only give birth to a calf about once every three to five years.
Not all right whales will spend the winter off the southeastern United States. Some right whales occur on Jeffreys Ledge, just northeast of Gloucester. Other right whales may venture as far north as Greenland, according to preliminary analyses of underwater recordings of right whale sounds.
Still other right whales may roam as far east as Norway, as indicated by photographs taken of the same individual right whale in Cape Cod Bay and Norway.
Despite these clues, however, the wintertime whereabouts of most right whales still remains somewhat of a mystery.
Spring and summer movement patterns are a bit more predictable. During the spring, many right whales congregate in Cape Cod Bay where they feast on abundant plankton. During the summer, the majority of the right whale population may be found further north in the Bay of Fundy, Canada.
Historically, right whales were decimated by whaling operations because they were the "right" whale to kill. Their large size — about 50 feet long and 70 tons — slow-moving behavior, and tendency to float at the surface after being killed made them easy targets for whalers.
Although the species is no longer threatened by whaling, right whales face a different suite of threats today.
Injury and mortality due to collisions with ships and entanglement in fishing gear are some of the factors contributing to the slow recovery of the species. However, recent regulations are helping, such as a 10-knot speed limit for ships in right whale areas during certain times of the year.
Protecting a mammoth species like the right whale is a mammoth undertaking, and several groups of researchers, including the Gloucester-based Whale Center of New England, are working to better understand aspects of right whale biology such as travel patterns, eating habits, and social behavior.
Earlier this month, the annual meeting of the Right Whale Consortium was held in New Bedford. At this meeting, the latest findings were presented by right whale researchers from the United States and Canada. It is ironic to think that the number of right whale researchers may be larger than the actual number of right whales!
Even though scientists are trying to assimilate data as quickly and accurately as possible in order to better understand and conserve the species, North Atlantic right whales live life in the slow lane and recovery of the species to a sustainable level will likely take a very long time.
For now, here's hoping 2010 brings us another healthy generation of North Atlantic right whales.
Heidi Pearson, PhD, is assistant director and stranding coordinator at The Whale Center of New England, based on Harbor Loop in Gloucester. She can be reached at heidi@whalecenter.org, via phone at 978-515-5001, or via fax at 978-281-5666. To report a stranding, call the center's stranding hotline at 978-281-6351.
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