An “extraordinary” whale sighting happened in Boston recently.
Center for Coastal Studies (CCS) researchers Ryan Schosberg and Annie Bartlett were hoping for the first 2025-2026 season whale sighting in Massachusetts Bay on Nov. 19 when they saw something even more unique: A right whale first seen in Ireland.
North Atlantic right whales almost never cross between the eastern and western Atlantic, but researchers have now documented the first case of one doing so. The discovery suggests old habitats may still matter and that these endangered whales are roaming far to find safe places, scientists said in a press release.
“While photographing the humpbacks, we were surprised to spot a lone right whale feeding at the surface nearby. We quickly diverted to photo-document the whale, our first right whale sighting of the season. The first sighting of the year is always exciting, but we didn’t yet realize just how remarkable this one would turn out to be,” said Schosberg.
Photo taken by CCS aerial observers off Boston on Nov. 19, 2025Center for Coastal Studies
CCS researchers know most of the right whales in the area, which has a population of less than 400, so researchers quickly realized this whale didn’t match any known right whales.
The whale seen in Ireland had “unique features” that researchers were hoping to match in the future.
“While the photos from the 2024 Ireland sighting showed some unique features, we were unsure the quality of the photos would be sufficient to identify the whale in the future. After a flurry of matching effort and emails, we were excited to discover the first ever photo-ID match between Ireland and the U.S. East Coast,” said Lindsey Jones, a scientist in the Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center who manages the North Atlantic Right Whale Catalog.
Of course, that unique connection happened in Boston.
“But where else would one expect to find a right whale with Irish connections if not off Boston?” said Pádraig Whooley, Sightings Officer at the Irish Whale & Dolphin Group, who recognized the unusual whale sighting in 2024 and shared information with the Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for identification.
Prior to 2016, it was believed that the North Atlantic Right Whale weren’t found in Irish waters due to commercial whaling. The North Atlantic right whale has been declared critically endangered by the IUCN and is one of the most endangered large whale species in the world.
Right whale season in Massachusetts typically runs from December through mid-May. However, CCS began flying supplemental surveys in October and November to document whales arriving early to local waters.