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© New England Aquarium and Canadian Whale Institute under DFO Canada SARA permit

Scientists unveil new names for 19 North Atlantic right whales

December 6, 2023 - Contact: Regina Asmutis-Silvia, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, (508) 451-3853, [email protected] Pam...
© Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, taken under NOAA permit #26919. Funded by United States Army Corps of Engineers

Birth announcement! First right whale calf of the 2024 calving season spotted

November 29, 2023 - On November 28th, researchers from the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute...
© Peter Flood

Two New England-based nonprofits awarded nearly $400k federal grant

© Peter Flood November 20, 2023 - Contact: Jake O'Neill, Conservation Law Foundation, (617) 850-1709,...
Right whale - Regina WDC

North Atlantic right whale population has stabilized

WDC attends Ropeless Consortium and North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium WDC was in Canada this...

Large group of whales strand on Scottish coastline

Poor weather hampered attempts by rescuers to save a large group of pilot whales that have stranded on the shore at Staffin on Skye earlier this week.

21 pilot whales got into difficulty in the remote location on Monday evening. Three died, including a mother who had to be euthanised after her calf died, but the rescue team managed to refloat 18 other whales at about 04:00 on Tuesday morning. 

Later on Tuesday, some of the remaining whales restranded on Staffin Island itself. Sadly, four more died while rescuers were unable to save two others. However, the remaining whales were eventually refloated and pushed back into open water on the next high tide. The surviving whales are now thought to have left the area.

Pilot whales often strand in large groups. They live in very tight social groups and usually when they strand it appears that either a lead individual has made a navigational mistake, or one individual has become sick or wounded and led the rest of its pod onto the shore.