MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. – A new warning has been issued for boaters near Merritt Island after a critically-endangered North Atlantic right whale was spotted with her calf off the coast.
There are thought to only be about 380 North Atlantic right whales left in the wild. Boat strikes present one of the biggest dangers to North Atlantic right whales, mainly because they’re very dark and don’t have dorsal fins.
“All large whales, including North Atlantic right whales, actually fertilize our ocean basins,” Marine Scientist Norah Ives said. ”So, every other breath you take, that oxygen that you’re taking in is from the ocean and the whales fertilize the tiny plants at the surface of the ocean that create that oxygen."
Calving season runs through mid April.
It’s illegal to approach a right whale within 500 yards.
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