Right whales return to Georgia coast

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

Anglers videoed the two endangered whales off Hilton Head, S.C., and Savannah Wednesday afternoon, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Two right whales were also reported near Cape Lookout, N.C. on Saturday but researchers couldn’t determine if they were the same whales.

“It is possible they are the same pair that was seen off Cape Lookout on Saturday,” DNR senior wildlife biologist Jessica Thompson told The Current GA. “The sighting documentation was similar. They had video that made it clear it was two adult right whales, but not clear enough to confirm ID. There was also an unconfirmed sighting at another location in N.C. of a single adult. No others have been seen in the Southeast yet. These are the early birds.”

The state marine mammal of Georgia, North Atlantic right whales are one of the most imperiled large whales, with a population estimated last month at 384 individuals. These bus-sized mammals migrate more than 1,000 miles each fall from Canada and New England to the Southeast. The waters off Georgia, north Florida and South Carolina are considered their core calving area, but they usually arrive in late November or early December.

Thompson, leader of the agency’s work with marine mammals, called the early sighting of these two uncommon but not unheard of. It did create an urgency to “make sure boaters know right whales are back and everyone is aware of the need to be vigilant.” She also encouraged boaters to report all sightings and stay at least 500 yards from any whale seen.

Boaters are urged to slow down and report sightings via 877-WHALE-HELP, the U.S. Coast Guard on marine VHF ch. 16 or the Whale Alert app (https://www.whalealert.org). Provide the time, location and other sighting details. Sightings can be tracked on the app and at whalemap.org (http://whalemap.org). Although right whales are always moving, reports raise awareness among boaters and can help avoid vessel strikes.

Moms give birth and raise their young here until they are strong enough to return north in the spring. It’s unclear exactly why right whales choose this area to give birth, but scientists theorize that the winter water temperatures are not too cold for the newborns and not too warm for their blubber-insulated mothers. It’s definitely not about the region’s seafood: Right whales are baleen whales, which feed on zooplankton, but the females who travel south to give birth don’t eat at all while they’re here.

Vessel strikes are one of the two leading causes of right whale deaths, along with entanglement in commercial fishing gear in the northeast Atlantic. Despite their size, the whales can be hard to see because of their dark color and lack of a dorsal fin. Mothers and calves also spend most of their time at or near the surface, putting them more at risk of being hit.

Whale researchers, including those from the Georgia DNR, are scheduled to begin their aerial surveys for right whales in Georgia waters on Dec. 1, 2025.

A rare bit of good news about right whales was released last month when the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium announced the population had increased by eight individuals to 384 animals.

Eleven babies were identified in last year’s calving season, which runs through March. Scientists warn, however, that birth numbers must increase to about 50 per year if the species is to survive given the rate of human-caused mortality and serious injury.