Right whale calf seriously injured by vessel off Edisto found dead in Georgia: NOAA

CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCIV) — The right whale calf of Juno was found dead on Cumberland Island National Seashore in Georgia, the NOAA Fisheries announced Monday.

The calf was first seen on Jan. 3, 2024, with serious injuries to its head, mouth and lip from a vessel strike. The calf was then reported dead on Sunday.

“A beacon of hope has turned into a tragedy. Human activity has set this species on a collision course with extinction," said Greg Reilly, a southeast marine campaigner with the International Fund for Animal Welfare. "With an amended vessel speed rule, this death may never have happened. The only thing worse than the injuries sustained by this whale is the negligence and inaction by our government.”

Due to the scavenged nature of the carcass, responders identified it was Juno's calf based on the unique injuries and markings documented when the calf was alive.

Read more: "Right whale calf seriously injured by vessel off Edisto; injuries likely fatal: NOAA."

The calf was initially injured off Edisto, South Carolina. It was there that it was seen in videos shared by the public on social media.

“The first North Atlantic right whale calf of the season never made it out of the nursery," said Kathleen Collins, the senior marine campaign manager for IFAW. "It suffered a slow, agonizing death for half its short life. Three dead right whales in just over a month is heartbreaking and preventable. We need increased protections for this species now before it's too late.”

Genetic testing will be used to determine the calf's sex, officials said.

Officials also said they will continue to perform a necropsy and evaluate the vessel strike wounds.

“Just weeks ago, we were on Tybee Island mourning the loss of a juvenile North Atlantic right whale that was killed by a boat strike, and here we are again with another preventable tragedy on Georgia’s shores. When will this heartbreaking cycle of death end?” said Hermina Glass-Hill, Oceana’s senior field representative in Georgia. “Juno’s newborn calf offered hope for critically endangered North Atlantic right whales to recover, and because of the human-caused threats they face, that chance is gone. In the first few weeks of its short life, this calf’s face was sliced open by a boat propeller, causing painful and prolonged suffering which sadly resulted in its death. Our government already knows what to do to protect these critically endangered whales, so why are they sitting on it? Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and President Biden need to immediately release the updated vessel speed rule their own agency proposed nearly two years ago. Until they do, this right whale’s death, and the future ones to come, are on their watch.”

The calf's death marks the 39th mortality case for the endangered North Atlantic right whale.

An Unusual Mortality Event was declared for North Atlantic right whales in 2017 and currently includes 123 individuals: 39 dead, 33 seriously injured, and 51 sublethally injured or ill, officials said.

“The devastating news of another right whale death – this time the newborn calf of Juno - is a reminder that North Atlantic right whales are on the brink of extinction,” said Kim Elmslie, campaign director at Oceana in Canada. “The calf’s entire short life was marked by tragedy. The calf was struck by a ship at only a month old and suffered from severe injuries until its death. The Canadian and U.S. governments must do more to protect this critically endangered population, including mandatory vessel slowdowns across their full migration route and a swift transition to ropeless and on-demand fishing gear to protect whales and Canada’s access to lucrative U.S seafood markets under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Failure to do this essentially guarantees their extinction before our eyes.”

The primary causes of the UME are entanglements in fishing gear and vessel strikes in both U.S. and Canadian waters.

Read more: "Rare right whale sightings off SC coast shed light on critically endangered species."