North Atlantic right whales, a beleaguered species of fewer than 400 individuals, gave researchers new reason to hope this winter off the coast of Georgia.

On the Mar 4th edition: Georgia lawmakers reject a proposal to nearly eliminate property taxes for homeowners; Rules meant to protect endangered right whales are also now endangered; And a new bill seeks to make protesting without a permit a lot more expensive 

North Atlantic right whales have returned to their calving grounds off Georgia earlier than expected. Or at least two of them did.

The federal government is withdrawing proposed rules that would have required more ships to slow down in East Coast waters to try to save a vanishing species of whale. Environmentalists say the move Wednesday, in the waning days of the Biden administration, will leave the endangered North Atlantic right whale vulnerable to extinction as the Trump administration is signalling a shift from environmental conservation to support for marine industries.

Conservationists are getting better at monitoring the movement of the highly endangered right whale. They hope it will encourage ships to slow down in an effort to save the species.

Researchers see the highly endangered mother and calf pair off the South Carolina coast on Tuesday.

Republican U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter of Pooler joined Senate counterparts in taking a preemptive legislative strike this month to a rule that the marine associations claim will be financially detrimental and further hinder a vessel’s ability to navigate heavily trafficked shipping ports in Savannah and Brunswick.

The massive ice sheet on Greenland is shrinking as the climate gets hotter, pouring fresh water into the Atlantic Ocean. That could be setting off a chain reaction that's altering ocean ecosystems.

Once hunted to near-extinction, the greatest threats to the endangered North Atlantic right whale now are accidental encounters with humans.

The rule would apply a calving season speed limit to more boaters than it currently affects.

The first North Atlantic right whale calf of the season was spotted off South Carolina on Monday. It could be a good omen for those who track this critically endangered species. Fewer than 350 of these bus-sized whales remain.

Whale Week is underway in Savannah, Ga., from Nov. 15 through Nov. 21, 2021. Each year between November and April, endangered North Atlantic right whales, Georgia's official state marine mammal, migrate to the Southeast's warmer waters to calve. All Things Considered host Rickey Bevington talks to Paulita Bennett-Martin, a co-founder of Whale Week.

A judge ruled that an Army Corps of Engineers plan to dredge while sea turtles are nesting poses too great a risk to the turtles.

A federal judge has reinstated a fishing ban in New England that aims to protect North Atlantic Right Whales.

Conservationists say a newborn right whale has been spotted off the coast of Georgia with serious wounds to its head. Barb Zoodsma of the National...