A right whale mother follows her young calf. Speeding boats and ships could put both at risk. Credit: Photo by Sea to Shore Alliance, taken under NOAA research permit #15488. S2S-Eg1620&calf-09MAR15-0132.jpg
Infinity, a North Atlantic right whale, was swimming alongside her one-month-old calf when a boat rammed them. Her baby died instantly, and Infinity received likely lethal injuries. The mother-calf pair were among the barely 350 remaining North Atlantic right whales. Infinity was one of just 70 fertile females. No one faced penalties for the avoidable accident. Mandatory speed limits designed to protect the critically endangered species didn’t apply to the boat.
Calving season for right whales officially began on November 15. Once again, it has arrived without the government taking any action to protect these precious calves from human-caused harm. Scientists say that at least…