"The sighting this winter of newborn whales off the coasts of Florida and Georgia is being greeted with mild optimism, as the North Atlantic population has dwindled."

"In a rare bit of good news for North Atlantic right whales, a third newborn calf was spotted last Thursday, and the breeding season isn’t half over.

Last year, no new animals were born in a population that spends its calving season along the southeastern coastline of the United States. Their numbers have declined to 411, according to a soon to be released count for 2018.

“It’s a pause in the bad news,” said Philip Hamilton, who maintains the catalog of North Atlantic right whales at the New England Aquarium in Boston. “We don’t know how long the pause will be.”"

Karen Weintraub reports for the New York Times January 22, 2019. [2]