INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — The right whale and a calf have left Sebastian Inlet heading back to the ocean.
The sighting was called in by bystanders, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission Ofc. Lenny Salberg. The whales were said to be in good condition.
The whales made several attempts to leave the Sebastian Inlet Tuesday. They made it on their third or fourth try, according to Ofc. Salberg.
According to the FWC’s website:
“The North Atlantic right whale, Eubalaena glacialis, is among the most endangered of the world’s large whales with an estimated population of approximately 500 individuals. Historically depleted by commercial whaling, ship strikes and fishing gear entanglements are now the largest threats to right whales. The coastal waters off Florida and Georgia are the only known calving area for North Atlantic right whales and these waters have been designated as right whale critical habitat by the National Marine Fisheries Service. Right whales are typically sighted off Florida between November and April.”
