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Calvin In September of 1992, at the age of eight months, Calvin was
forcibly weaned when her mother, Delilah, was struck and killed by a ship
in the Bay of Fundy. After searching for days for the orphaned calf, researchers
from the New England Aquarium (NEAq) and East Coast Ecosystems Research
Organization (ECE) lost hope that she could survive on her own. The following
summer, the same group of scientists was surprised and delighted to re-sight
the young whale alive and well. So far, she continues to be seen regularly
despite her early difficulties.
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Lucky was born in the waters near Jacksonville, Florida, in 1991. When
she was only a month old, the propeller of a boat struck Lucky, leaving
her deeply scarred on her left flank. Many whales do not survive ship
strikes, the leading documented cause of right whale deaths. Feeling that
the young whale was lucky to be alive, researchers named her with the
hope that her good luck and survival skills would help her continue to
overcome other obstacles as she grows to maturity.
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Necklace, an adult male, was first incorporated into the North Atlantic
Right Whale Catalogue in 1981. For ten years, Necklace was photographed
with a piece of fishing net wrapped around his tail. Analysis of more
than 150,000 photographs of right whales has shown that over 60% of them
bear scars from previous contact with fishing gear. Some entanglements
can interfere with the whale's ability to swim, feed, or even breathe.
In other instances, entanglements that may not appear to be life threatening
can cause wounds, infection, or cut off circulation to flippers and flukes.
Early reporting of entanglement incidents and a quick response by rescue
teams are vitally important elements in reducing the impact of interaction
with gear. Necklace is one of the more fortunate survivors of an entanglement.
After many years, he is finally free of the rope that once encircled his
tail like a necklace.
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Gemini, an adult male, has been seen almost every year since 1979. Named
for the twin scars on his back that resemble constellation Gemini, he
is one of the active males often seen participating in social groups.
Watching Gemini develop, mature, and change social roles has been beneficial
in the effort to uncover some of the mysteries surrounding right whale
behaviour.
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Anchor was first sighted just east of Cape Cod in 1979. Since then she
has given birth to four calves, born in 1982, 1985, 1989 and 1993. One
of less than 75 breeding females in the entire population, every calf
she contributes is vitally important to the survival of the species. Ingalls,
Anchor's 1989 calf, was named for the New Brunswick fisherman who rescued
this whale from his fishing weir July of 1998.
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This trio represents three generations of right whales. Scientists first
documented Stumpy, the grandmother, in 1975. Since then she has been seen
regularly in almost all known right whale habitat areas. Stumpy is easily
recognizable by her stumpy tail fluke, part of which is missing as a result
of an unknown accident. In 1994 she gave birth to a calf who died a month
later from an accident with a boat propellor. This tragic death illustrated
once again how often these whales come into harm's way, beginning in the
very early days of their lives. Stumpy gave birth to other calves before
and after 1994.
In 1987 Pollyanna was born, and in 1996 she gave birth to Stumpy's grandcalf
Esperanza - named from a Spanish word meaning hope.
It is Esperanza, Pollyanna, Stumpy and the other breeding females whose
offspring provide the best hope for the survival of this sadly depleted
population.
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