Endangered Whale May Be Making Comeback

ATLANTA (March 15) - There is growing optimism that the endangered North Atlantic right whale can come back from the edge of extinction.

The new hopes are prompted by observations of the whales in their only known winter calving area, which is off the coast of Georgia and north Florida.

Scientists who have been surveying the coastal waters now believe that a previously undocumented group of as many as 17 female right whales has started using the calving grounds. This new group joins another group that has been coming there for years.

"It's amazing to me to think that something as big as these animals - 40 to 45 feet long and weighing perhaps 40 tons - could have escaped detection until now," said Brad Winn, a biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

"But that's part of the mystery surrounding these animals."

It is not clear why the new group has begun showing up at the winter calving ground. But any significant increase in the population helps hold off the possible extinction of the whales, scientists say. Only about 300 North Atlantic right whales are left, making them one of the world's most endangered species.

Scientists are also encouraged by the number of right whales born in recent years. So far this season, 13 newborn whales have been seen in Georgia and Florida waters. Only one calf was reported in 2000, leading many researchers then to wonder if the whales had reached the point of no return.

Researchers are also glad to see shorter calving intervals among the whales.

"In the past, we have seen four- to five-year intervals in breeding cycles for right whales," said biologist Monica Zani of the New England Aquarium. "This year, we have seen some females that are calving after only a three-year interval.

"This is great news for such a small population, where every calf that is born is crucial."

Georgia officials plan to showcase the right whale as part of the state's natural heritage when the G-8 summit meeting is held on Sea Island in June.

Once numbering in the thousands in the North Atlantic, right whales were hunted to near extinction in the 19th century. They got their name from whalers who said they were the "right whales" to hunt. The whales were easy to approach and lived close to shore. And their high blubber content kept them afloat after they were killed.