A mother-calf pair of North Atlantic right whales

Champagne (Catalog #3904) and her calf were the first mother-calf pair of North Atlantic right whales sighted in the 2025–2026 season.

Credit: Photo: Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, taken under NOAA permit #26919

North Atlantic right whales have been detected throughout the East Coast, including near Savannah, Ga., and the first mother/calf pair was spotted over the past weekend.

November through April is known as "calving season" where right whales and their young are usually seen together along the southeastern coast of the United States because the whales migrate there to give birth.

A screenshot of an interactive map tracking right whale sightings off the Georgia coast

A map tracks right whale sightings off the Georgia coast in fall 2025.

Credit: Screenshot / whalemap.org

According to a press release from the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium, "during this time, researchers on and above the water keep their eye out for whale mothers and their calves, a hopeful sight for the survival of these critically endangered marine animals."

Though endangered, the North Atlantic right whale population continues to increase to 384 in 2024 after reaching a low of 358 in 2020.

"The upward trend is encouraging for scientists, who emphasized that continued protections are needed to continue growing the population," per the press release.

Researchers at the NARWC's Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life work to continue to learn about conserving the species. Throughout calving season they also manage a list of mom and calf pairs with biographical information.

Once calving season ends, the whales will move back to the north for the spring and summer seasons.

Tags: right whale  Georgia  coastal georgia  whales  conservation  marine biology  GPB News