Happy Whale Humpback Happenings
June 22, 2026
A few interesting matches have come out of our Mid-Atlantic Humpback Whale Catalog efforts and partnership with Happy Whale!
Kemp’s ridley / Loggerhead Hybrid Turtle Tagged at Jekyll Island
June 15, 2026
Researchers were surprised by an unusual turtle that stranded in Georgia-- a Kemp’s ridley / Loggerhead Hybrid Turtle, and were able to tag the animal for release.
A Macrocephalus Mother's Day Tradition
May 27, 2026
HDR-lead team encountered a group of mainly female sperm whales with calves on Mother's Day for the 2nd year in a row, and successfully deployed a tag from a drone. We believe it's the first CATS tag deployed on a sperm whale via drone.
2024-2025 Large Whale Season Summary
March 24, 2025
We have two separate efforts focusing on cetaceans off the coast of Virginia. The first is our Offshore (Outer Continental Shelf) Cetacean Study, which focuses primarily on deep diving odontocetes like sperm whales. The second effort is our Nearshore and Mid-Shelf Baleen Whale Monitoring Project.
Large Whale Action in the Mid-Atlantic
January 30, 2024
After a relatively slow start to the 2023-2024 large whale season, things are picking up here in the Mid-Atlantic. Last week was the busiest we’ve had so far this season for several of our projects as well as adjacent colleagues.
It’s Whale Season in the Mid-Atlantic!
November 20, 2023
Baleen whale season has started in the mid-Atlantic and we have several projects in the region studying their occurrence and behavior.
Humpbacks - New visitors and familiar friends in the Mid-Atlantic
November 20, 2023
On 16 November 2023, the weather lined up perfectly for HDR Inc. to go out in their small boat for some large whale survey work under the Mid-Atlantic Nearshore and Mid-shelf Baleen Whale Monitoring Project.
Right Whale Party in the Mid-Atlantic
February 4, 2023
A Surface Active Group of North Atlantic right whales off the coast of Virginia.
Blue whale tagged off the coast of Virginia
April 26, 2021
Details on the first blue whale tagged in the region.
Tracking an endangered North Atlantic right whale
March 15, 2021
A yearling right whale was tagged off the coast of VA and tracked for 12 days.
Drone footage of a blue whale off the coast of Virginia!
March 14, 2021
Blue whale footage from Virginia
Drone footage of humpback whale bubble-net feeding off the coast of Virginia
February 18, 2021
Humpback whale "Tobin" bubblenet feeding off VA.
Fantastic video of an encounter with North Atlantic right whales off the coast of Virginia Beach
January 27, 2021
Footage of three right whales off Virginia.
New acoustic monitoring buoy helps researchers study and protect North Atlantic Right Whales
January 19, 2021
A new buoy to listen for protected whales.
Entangled humpback whale
January 8, 2021
Our team assisted with the disentanglement efforts of a young humpback whale.
One whale tagged twice.
March 8, 2019
D-tag and limpet tag on a humpback whale.
Sowerby's beaked whales encountered at Norfolk Canyon
January 7, 2019
Excellent drone footage of a group of rarely seen beaked whales.
Sowerby's beaked whale tagged offshore of Virginia
September 12, 2018
A rarely seen beaked whale was tracked offshore.
Blue whales and sei whales and right whales - OH MY!!!
April 18, 2018
A spring aggregation of endangered whales offshore.
Seals of Rhode Island and Virginia
February 17, 2016
Two projects studying harbor seals on the east coast.
Tagging Atlantic Humpbacks
January 8, 2016
Year two of our Chesapeake Bay humpback whale project has begun!
Turtle Tagging Season Has Begun!
May 18, 2015
Tagging loggerhead and Kemp's ridley sea turtles off Virginia.
Great Day for a Mid-Atlantic Offshore Survey
April 20, 2015
Pelagic cetaceans and sea turtle sightings.
Humpbacks Have Arrived!
December 30, 2014
It's winter in Virginia and that means whales!
Spinnaker sighted off Virginia Beach
September 25, 2013
A well known whale makes a visit.
Current
Passive Acoustic Monitoring for Mid-Atlantic Baleen Whales
Project Objectives
Monitor large whale occurrence in the Mid-Atlantic
Complete
Mid-Atlantic Humpback Whale Catalog
Project Objectives
Establish a centralized collaborative humpback whale photo-id catalog for the mid-Atlantic and southeast regions to support management and environmental planning
Complete
Mid-Atlantic Humpback Whale Monitoring
Project Objectives
Assess occurrence, habitat use, and baseline behavior of humpback whales in the mid-Atlantic region
Complete
Behavioral Response of Humpback Whales to Vessel Traffic
Project Objectives
Understand the behavioral response of humpback whales to approaching vessels in the shipping channels at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.
Current
Mid-Atlantic Offshore Cetacean Study
Project Objectives
Assess occurrence, habitat use, and baseline behavior of cetaceans in the offshore and continental shelf break region of the VACAPES OPAREA
Current
North Atlantic Right Whale Monitoring, Conservation, and Protection
Project Objectives
Assess occurrence, habitat use, and behavior of North Atlantic right whales in the mid-Atlantic region
Current
Mid-Atlantic Nearshore & Mid-shelf Baleen Whale Monitoring
Project Objectives
Assess occurrence, habitat use, and baseline behavior of baleen whales in the mid-Atlantic region
Current
Haul-Out Counts and Photo-Identification of Pinnipeds in Virginia
Project Objectives
Document seasonal occurrence, habitat use, and haul-out patterns of seals
Complete
Mid-Atlantic Autonomous Passive Acoustic Monitoring
Project Objectives
Monitor large whale occurrence in the mid-AtlanticNo related documents to display
