A three-year-old female North Atlantic right whale has been found dead on a remote barrier island off Virginia’s Eastern Shore (reported Feb 10). NOAA and the Marine Mammal Stranding Network are working to document and, where possible, necropsy the carcass.
She has been identified as the calf of a whale named “Porica”, who is known to have had two other calves die.
This is the second right whale death recorded in 2026, following the death of four-year-old male “Division”, whose fatal injuries were caused by entanglement in fishing gear. Fewer than 400 right whales remain, with roughly 70 breeding females. Each loss underscores the urgency of reducing entanglement and vessel-strike risk across their migratory corridor, including safer gear, slower ships, better enforcement.
Ship collisions are one of the biggest threats to large whales. ORCA works with the shipping industry, scientists, and volunteers to understand where and why whales are at risk and reduce the risk of collisions.