Endangered whale tangled in rope spotted with calf off Georgia island, video shows
A rare whale entangled in ropes was spotted swimming with her calf in a video captured off a Georgia island.
The pair of North Atlantic right whales were seen about 10 nautical miles off Cumberland Island, a barrier island off the southeast coast of Georgia, on Thursday, Dec. 2, according to a Facebook post from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division.
The aerial video captured the calf swimming around its mother, named Snow Cone. The ropes wrapped around Snow Cone can also be seen trailing along in the water behind her.
The Georgia DNR said the calf has been seen “swimming in, through and around the ropes” but is not entangled.
“General opinion is that they are short enough that the calf likely won’t become entangled if everything remains as is,” the department wrote on Facebook.
Snow Cone was first discovered to be entangled in the ropes in March in Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts.
Rescuers have tried several times to free her and have so far managed to shorten the “trailing rope.”
“Based on the period of the mother’s entanglement and general health assessments, we believe the entanglement is not immediately life threatening, but we and other partners working to conserve right whales will monitor the situation,” the department said.
Entanglement in fishing gear is “one of the greatest threats” to the species, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. More than 85% of North Atlantic right whales are estimated to have gotten caught in fishing gear at least once in their life.
“Fishing gear can cut into a whale’s body, cause serious injuries, and result in infections and mortality,” NOAA said. “Even if gear is shed or removed through disentanglement efforts, the time spent entangled can severely stress a whale, weaken it, prevent it from feeding and sap the energy it needs to swim, feed and reproduce.”
Snow Cone’s calf is the second one documented in the Southeast this season, the Georgia DNR said.
Calving season runs from mid-November to mid-April, according to NOAA. The Southeast coast — from Cape Fear, North Carolina, to Cape Canaveral, Florida — is considered an important calving habitat for the species. It’s the only known area where “right whale females regularly give birth and nurse their young.”
The North Atlantic right whale is “one of the world’s most endangered large whale species,” NOAA said.
“Vessel strikes and entanglement in fishing gear, like lobster and crab pots, are major threats to North Atlantic right whales, which are critically endangered,” the Georgia DNR said. “It’s estimated that fewer than 350 individuals remain, of which only about 70 are breeding females.”
Additionally, fewer right whale calves than normal have been born in recent years.
Female whales give birth to one calf after a yearlong pregnancy, according to NOAA, and three years is “considered a normal or healthy interval between right whale births.”
“But now, on average, females are having calves every 6 to 10 years,” NOAA said. “Biologists believe that the additional stress caused by entanglement is one of the reasons that females are calving less often.”
The Georgia DNR reminded boaters to help keep the species safe.
“If you see one, heed the law and stay at least 500 yards away,” it said.
This story was originally published December 7, 2021 at 9:26 AM with the headline "Endangered whale tangled in rope spotted with calf off Georgia island, video shows."
