“There has only been one right whale reported so far this year off Rhode Island: south of Sakonnet Point on Jan 22.”
This is according to Robert Kenney, Emeritus Marine Research Scientist and Adjunct Professor in residence at the University of Rhode Island, who is one of the founders of the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium. The NARWC focuses on the conservation and recovery of the North Atlantic right whale, an endangered whale population found off the eastern coasts of the United States and Canada. North Atlantic right whales have been reported in Block Island waters in the past, traveling from southern waters off Florida and Georgia, into Cape Cod Bay and eventually up to Canadian waters.
“I maintain the collaborative database for the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium… so I’m always ready to add opportunistic sightings from any source (all species, not just right whales). All I need is date, location, species, and how many, with some descriptive information to back up species identifications,” said Kenney.
North Atlantic right whales have smooth, black bodies; some have white belly patches. They have a large head with a strongly arched mouth line, and square-shaped flippers. These whales are active
