Visit our Program webpage for current information about
the North Atlantic Right Whale Program.


The Marine Resources Council's Right Whale Monitoring Program was established in 1995 to reduce human impacts to the endangered North Atlantic right whale. Citizens on the east coast of Florida report land‑based sightings of right whales to our hotline (1‑888‑97‑WHALE). This information is passed on to local ship traffic to avoid ship strikes, which account for over one‑third of documented right whale deaths in the North Atlantic Ocean.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Volunteers Needed to Follow Stella!

Hi all!

MRC is helping with the migration of Stella, a right whale painting by Wyland and students from south Florida, to educate elementary school children on right whales, healthy habits, art, and more!  Her journey starts in Key Largo, FL on Oct. 15th and will end on Nov. 17th in Jacksonville Beach at the Right Whale Festival!  Volunteer presenters are needed to travel with Stella and help with teaching children all about right whales.  If you can help and you're willing to travel, please email us at whales@mrcirl.org or call the hotline at 1-888-979-4253.  For more information on Stella, the associated art contest, a map of her journey, and more, visit  http://www.wylandfoundation.org/community.php?subsection=stellas_migration 
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Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Annual Right Whale Naming Contest

The North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium is seeking submissions of right whale names for 15 whales again this year.  MRC plans to participate in this process and welcomes suggestions made by its volunteers.    The nominating period will start on October 15th and will run through the morning of October 29th.  Rules on naming include choosing something that's particular to the markings on the whale that will help make it identifiable in the field to researchers.  Many names have been based on scars, callosity patterns, etc.  Use other languages, mythology, astronomy, or other sciences to come up with ideas.  For example, Aprhodite is named for a heart-shaped marking on top of her head.  Boomerang has a boomerang-shaped mark on the underside of his tail.  Get creative!  Do NOT name whales after people or places.  Please submit ideas to MRC at whales@mrcirl.org and we will incorporate them into our submissions to the Consortium for you.  Thanks for your participation!

The following right whales are looking for names.  To see their distinctive markings, go to the right whale catalog at http://rwcatalog.neaq.org/Terms.aspx and search by individual:

Right whale #s 1423, 1616, 1708, 2470, 3294, 3340, 3390, 3512, 3660, 3791, 3802, 3808, 3845, 4040, 4060.  As we get more updated official rules, we'll post them.
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Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Whale Program at Beach Eco Expo Sat. June 9th

Hi all! MRC's Right Whale Monitoring Program will have a booth at the Volusia County Beach Eco Expo on Saturday, June 9th. The Expo is at the Ocean Center from 9am to 4pm. Please stop by and say, "hi!" We will have hands-on educational materials, information you can take home with you, and goodies for sale (books, jewelry, float-rope door mats, whale toys, etc.). The event is free, parking is $5. For more information, call 386-238-4716. The Ocean Center is located at 101 N. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach, FL 32118. More of a description of the event can be found here: http://www.volusia.org/05-31c-12.htm Hope to see you there!
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