Slalom and Calf. Photo credit goes to Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute (CMARI) and USACE under NOAA permit
HYANNIS – The New England Aquarium recently confirmed the sighting of Slalom, a 39-year-old North Atlantic Right Whale and her calf, off the coast of South Carolina.
Sighted east of Pawleys Island, S.C. on November 24, Slalom and her calf are among an estimated 336 remaining North Atlantic Right Whales.
Giving birth to five calves over the course of her life, researchers from the New England Aquarium have given Slalom and her offspring exemplary status in illustrating the plight of the critically endangered whales, as the family has endured 17 fishing line entanglements and two vessel collisions.
“Slalom and her family are poster children for the issues that right whales face, but sadly, every family has such stories of harm done at the hands of humans,” said Philip Hamilton, Senior Scientist at the New England Aquarium’s Cabot Center for Ocean Life, who manages the aquarium’s Right Whale catalogue.
Slalom was sighted in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence this past summer, and was seen again in waters south of Nantucket during October.
By, Matthew Tomlinson, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
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