214 A right whale known as Limulus and her calf were sighted off Ossabaw Island, GA on January 11, 2024. Photo taken by Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute under NOAA permit 26919. area have caused their primary food source to migrate northward into colder waters. This shift has prompted right whales to seek out new summer feeding grounds, exposing them to new threats in the process. Predicting Whale Distribution, Directing Safeguards The right whale density model estimates where whales will be each month on a dynamic map. Decision-makers use the model-driven map the way farmers might use an almanac, guiding current and future actions based on statistical analysis of recorded observations. “The goal of these models is to make maps that show the absolute density of the animals,” Roberts said. “You can go to a location and predict how many whales you’re going to find there.” The ability to see across time and space is crucial. The model helps agencies such as NOAA and the National Marine Fisheries Service design and enforce seasonal right whale speed restrictions. Offshore wind energy developers use the model to find the best times to build to mitigate threats to vulnerable animals. “The US Navy is required to do environmental impact studies for all their training and exercises,” Halpin said. “They need to know when and where marine animals are going to be in the water so they can choose times and locations that won’t have a major impact . . . . There are many, many users of the model.” As more data is collected and technology advances, the lab and its partner organizations continually update and refine the model. Pioneering Research and Persistent Innovation Halpin, Roberts, and their colleagues have built GISpowered density models for 31 different marine animals. Right whales are among six endangered species being researched and mapped. indicates algae, the food consumed by the tiny crustaceans that make up most of the whale’s diet. Researchers theorize that behavioral shifts among North Atlantic right whales can be attributed to warming ocean waters. “The reason why their patterns have changed is essentially because the distribution of their food has changed,” Roberts said. “And the reason why that has changed is because of climate change.” In the past, most of the North Atlantic right whale population spent their summers feeding in and around the Gulf of Maine. However, rising ocean temperatures in that
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