- [Narrator] Barb Zoodsma coordinates NOAA's Right Whale Recovery Program in the Southeast.

In February 2020, she heads out to look for new calves with biologist Tom Pitchford.

- [Plane Operator] Harvey, Orion mostly at the surface and traveling in the northwest direction slowly, over.

- Perfect, we're all set.

Thank you very much.

The plane just radioed us and they said there is an Alpha Charlie over here, and that's code for an adult and calf.

As a protection measure, we're kind of cryptic on the radio.

Katie, will you let me know when you have eyes on them?

- Will do.

- Thank you.

The right whale count of calves born thus far in the Southeast, and that's all of the Southeast, United States, is at 10.

It's better than the seven last year and two years ago when there was zero.

It's nowhere near enough to get the population moving in a positive direction.

- Our average calving interval was three to five years for a long time, and what we've been seeing since 2010 is that just creep up and up and up and up.

And so we're into this seven, eight, nine, 10-year tagging interval for a lot of females.

- All right.

I'm moving in a little bit slower.

(lively music) Look how smooth it is.

Those calves are very weak swimmers when they're first born, and so these are real good conditions for the calves to learn how to swim.

When they leave here, they have hundreds of miles to swim.

They're gonna need a really strong bond to make it there together.

(lively music) - [Narrator] The whales can't stay in these calm, warm waters for long.

The mothers need to eat huge quantities of food in the spring and summer to survive.

And so by March, the pairs head north to the plankton-rich waters off New England and Canada.

The calves will nurse for at least 10 months and more than double in size before they learn to find food.

Most calves stay with their mothers for about 12 months before venturing out on their own.

(lively music) - In Florida, we work closely with groups of citizen scientists who are extending the reach of our airplane by going to the beach and scanning the ocean for right whales.

And it can be a huge help.

- [Narrator] This is Lily Pinkham's first year volunteering with the Marineland Right Whale Project.

- The first thing I saw was a spout.

As time went on and I started putting it out to everybody, it started putting its flippers up and then we saw that there were two spouts.

And we were able to identify it as a right whale because of the V-shaped blow.

- So because that was a big one.

But the first sighting, that was all due to Lily.

- The first sighting that was due to our team.

Yeah, that's right.

- [Narrator] The first calf sighted in the 2020 season was born to a 15-year-old first-time mother.

This is female 3560, named Snow Cone, with her baby.

(water splashing) (whale grunting) We won't be able to identify this calf based on just what callosities we see now, but they darted this calf, too, so they have DNA, which will help identify him later.

And look, the calf's upside down, you see both of the pectoral fins.

- [Citizen Scientist] Oh, my gosh.

(scientists chuckling) - [Narrator] As right whales mature, roughened patches of skin, like callouses, form on their heads.

This pattern is unique, like a fingerprint, and helps scientists identify and keep track of individual whales, over the years.

- She's now been seen off Miami and possibly the Keys; they're trying to confirm that.

- [Citizen Scientist] This year?

- Yeah, right now, right now.

But, generally, it's just unusual behavior for any of the right whales to go south of Canaveral.

So 3560 is going to keep us guessing for a while.

(tranquil music) (water splashing) And so the question is will she turn around and come back or will she go into the Gulf of Mexico?

(tranquil music) (water splashing)