Observations of a western North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) birth offshore of the protected southeast U.S. critical habitat

ThewesternNorthAtlantic rightwhale (NARW) (Eubalaena glacialis) is a critically endangered baleen whale with an estimated population below 450 individuals (Pettis 2009, Waring et al. 2009). Historically, the NARW occurred throughout the North Atlantic, but due to intense whaling, the population has been severely decimated and is now largely restricted to the eastern seaboard of North America (Reeves et al. 2007). The species has been protected from harvesting since 1935, but recovery has been prevented by mortalities from ship strikes and entanglement in fishing gear (Kraus et al. 2005, Knowlton and Brown 2007). The NARW’s only known calving area is located in the shallow, nearshore waters off the southeastern United States