Whale calf off SC coast likely to starve to death due to grisly injury, experts say

A disfigured right whale calf seen off South Carolina’s Edisto Island will probably die from horrific injuries blamed on a boat’s propeller blades, according to NOAA Fisheries.

North Atlantic right whales are an endangered species on the bring of extinction, with only about 360 left, experts say.

NOAA biologists say the calf has “several propeller wounds on the head, mouth, and left lip of the calf consistent with a vessel strike.”

“These injuries may impact this calf’s ability to nurse successfully,” NOAA Fisheries said in a Jan. 10 news release. “This means the whale is likely to die as a result.”

The injuries were discovered Jan. 6, after NOAA officials saw videos posted on social media by fishing charters in South Carolina, including Forever Hooked Charters.

NOAA did not speculate when the strike occurred, but the organization reports the collision was serious enough to have caused damage to the boat.

Marine biologists intend to keep monitoring the calf and are asking anyone who sees it to contact 877-942-5343.

The calf was likely born in late November, between Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and Georgetown, South Carolina, NOAA says. Its mother, Juno, is about 38 years old and has had eight documented calves since being first sighted in 1986, officials said.

Only nine North Atlantic right whale births have been documented this winter in the southeast, experts say.

News of the boat strike has prompted renewed calls for the federal government to strengthen regulations regarding boat speeds in areas populated by right whales and their calves.

“We are outraged that yet again, a critically endangered North Atlantic right whale calf is on the brink of death, likely due to a vessel strike,” Gib Brogan of the Oceana conservation organization said in a statement to McClatchy News.

“Just weeks old, this calf offered hope to help rebuild a species on the edge of extinction due to human negligence.”

The International Fund for Animal Welfare called the incident preventable, and noted research shows “slowing vessel speeds to 10 knots reduces a whale’s risk of death from vessel strikes by 80%-90%.”

“This likely death of this critically endangered calf is utterly tragic, but completely avoidable. Collisions with vessels are one of the leading causes of death for the North Atlantic right whale,” IFAW Senior Campaign Manager Kathleen Collins said in a release.

“Being aware while on the water and slowing vessels down when whales are in the area is the best way to save this critically endangered species.”

This story was originally published January 10, 2024 at 1:59 PM with the headline "Whale calf off SC coast likely to starve to death due to grisly injury, experts say."