A 16-year-old North Atlantic right whale named Curlew has turned up off the St. Augustine coast with a brand-new calf by her side, a sighting that landed roughly 11 nautical miles off St. Augustine Inlet on November 10. The pair showed up days before researchers were even scheduled to start looking for them, offering an early glimpse of a species so rare that every single birth gets tracked by name and catalog number.
Curlew, officially known as Catalog #4190, was spotted by boaters Sean Roberts and Mike Konopko, who reported the sighting to the NOAA hotline, according to the New England Aquarium. The Aquarium notes that Curlew was born to Tusk (Catalog #2790) in 2011, making her 16 years old. The sighting marks Curlew's first known calf.
What makes the timing notable is that the sighting beat the calendar. The Aquarium says the 2026–2027 calving season doesn’t officially start until November 15, when research teams begin their aerial and vessel surveys along the Southeast coast. Curlew and her calf were already there five days early, a detail also reported locally by The Outdoor Wire.
A Critically Endangered Species Returns to Florida Waters
The stakes behind every single sighting are steep. A marine scientist with Oceana puts the entire North Atlantic right whale population at about 380 animals, a number that faces ongoing pressure from fishing-gear entanglements and vessel strikes. Each calf, in other words, represents a meaningful fraction of a species teetering on the edge.
The waters off Georgia and north Florida function as the core calving grounds for the species, and last season's results offered some cautious encouragement. The Aquarium's research found that the 2025–2026 season produced 23 mother-calf pairs, the fourth-highest count on record, with a later-identified calf pushing that total to 24. Nine of those pairs were first spotted off the Georgia coast, according to a report from WSAV.
The annual calving season in the southeastern United States typically runs from mid-November through mid-April, the same stretch of months when right whales make their way down from northern feeding grounds to give birth in warmer, shallower water. Beyond Curlew's pair, an adult female right whale known as No. 2223 was also spotted migrating south toward the calving grounds, and a mother-calf pair involving right whale No. 3390, identified as Uca, has been credited to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute under NOAA Permit 26919.
Not the Only Surprise Calf This Season
Curlew's calf isn't the only unexpected find tied to this year's count. In September, researchers with the Mingan Island Cetacean Study photographed a right whale mother and calf near Anticosti Island in Quebec, far north of the usual Southeast nursery. The Aquarium said scientists believe that calf was likely born during the 2025–2026 season but had gone unseen during winter surveys, meaning it had been swimming around undetected for months before the Canadian sighting.
Why Boaters Play a Frontline Role
Because right whales are slow-moving and surprisingly hard to spot despite their size, boaters and anglers have become a key line of defense in protecting them. Mother-calf pairs tend to spend much of their time near the surface, and sightings reported by people on the water help alert others and reduce the risk of a vessel strike.
Federal regulations are specific about what that protection looks like in practice. NOAA Fisheries says it is illegal to approach or remain within 500 yards of a right whale, and separate federal rules state that any vessel that finds itself within that distance must steer a course away from the whale and immediately leave the area at a slow, safe speed, according to the Federal Register.
Boaters are also urged to go slowly, especially at night and during other low-light periods when whales are even harder to see. If a boat does encounter one unexpectedly, the guidance is to shift into neutral and assess the situation before moving again, per NOAA Fisheries.
How to Report a Sighting
Anyone scanning the water for right whales is advised to watch for black objects breaking the surface, large slashes or whitewater, and distinctive V-shaped spouts. The Whale Alert app and the website whalemap.org can also help people check on possible whale whereabouts in their area before heading out.
Sightings should be reported as soon as possible, with the time, position, and number of whales noted. People can call 877-WHALE-HELP (877-942-5343) or reach the Coast Guard on marine VHF Channel 16 to pass along the information.
