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Where in the world are the North Atlantic right whales?

Right whales spend the summer traveling. Here are just a few of the whales spotted this summer along the coast.

Oceans

right whale swims at surface of water
NOAA Fisheries/Paul Nagelkirk | Public Domain
Right whale Bowtie enjoys Hudson Canyon
Madeline Curnow

Intern, Environment America Research & Policy Center

Like many of us enjoying the warmer months, North Atlantic right whales have been on the move this summer. Throughout the year, the critically endangered whales will travel up the East coast from their calving grounds in the Southeast to the nutrient rich waters of New England and Canada. Let’s take a look at what some of these whales were up to this summer and where we spotted them. 

Virginia: Pico and calf

In the beginning of June, a right whale affectionately named Pico was spotted off the coast of Virginia with her calf (read more about how Pico got her name). This spotting signified an early stride in their journey to the cooler water of the Northeastern Atlantic Ocean. After reproductively active female right whales give birth in the winter off the Southeastern coast of the United States during calving season, they brave the journey back up to the Northeast with their young. We are lucky to see Pico and her baby as they reach a halfway point in their travel. 

Hudson Canyon: Fifty Friends

Also in early June, fifty right whales were spotted in the Hudson Canyon area off the coast of New York and New Jersey. As a species with just 360 individuals remaining, the sighting represents over ten percent of the remaining North Atlantic right whale population. We don’t know exactly why such a large group of whales were hanging out in Hudson, but we’re sure it was a whale of a time.

Maine: Butterfly and calf 

One of the more recent North Atlantic right whale sightings comes to us off the coast of Southeast Maine. The photo below shows Butterfly and her calf. Just like Pico, Butterfly and her calf have been traveling northwards from the whales’ calving grounds. These cooler waters are home to the feeding grounds for right whales, making the perfect place for Butterfly’s first calf to learn the ways of the water. Their arrival to Maine is a testament to the long distances North Atlantic right whales must brave to eat and raise their young. 

Gulf of St. Lawrence: Fenway and calf

Beloved right whale Fenway and her calf were spotted in Canadian waters several times in late May and early June. Sighted in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Fenway’s presence marks one of the northernmost points a right whale might venture to during the summer months. Fenway’s calf was seen swimming and nursing in the chilly Canadian waters, showcasing the activities right whales can enjoy if they safely make the journey to northern waters. Unfortunately, too many right whales will not experience these northern feeding grounds, as they face fatal vessel strikes and entanglements during their migration from the warm waters of the southeastern United States to Canada.

North Atlantic right whales migrate impressive distances, traveling to and from the Canadian and Northeastern United States waters in the summer to the warmer waters of the Southeast United States in the winter. But all too often, these migrations are interrupted by collisions with boats, which can lead to injury or even death for these gentle giants and their babies.

To keep these oceanic travelers safe, we need to slow down our boats when the whales are in town. Join us to call on the Biden Administration to protect the North Atlantic right whale. 

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Madeline Curnow

Intern, Environment America Research & Policy Center

Madeline Curnow worked as an intern for Environment America during the summer of 2024. Originally from Rhode Island, Madeline’s years spent near the ocean created an early interest in conservation. Following her internship, Madeline will enter her senior year at the University of Michigan, where she majors in Environmental Policy at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. 

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