Right Whales

When: Thursday, January 19, 2023 at 6:30 p.m.

Where: Marine Discovery Center, 520 Barracuda Blvd, NSB, 32169

Cost: FREE | Register online

Marine Discovery Center will kick off its 2023 monthly Public Lecture Series with an annual January update on North Atlantic Right Whales.

Julie Albert, manager of the Marine Resources Council’s North Atlantic Right Whale Conservation Program, will make the presentation on Thursday, January 19, at 6:30 p.m. outside at MDC’s Hunter Amphitheater INSIDE in our Learning Lab.

Albert will discuss the current status of the endangered species and their arrival around coastal Central Florida each year. The whales travel from Canada and New England to Georgia and Florida every winter to deliver their calves.

Albert trains and leads more than 800 volunteers along Florida’s east coast to spot and report North Atlantic Right Whales. Her presentation is designed to encourage individuals to engage in a volunteer contact system that alerts officials whenever these mammals are in our area. Officials rely on volunteer observers in a coordinated effort to help alert commercial shipping and fishing vessels when the whales are present.

There are currently fewer than 400 North Atlantic Right Whales in existence, making local and regional volunteers essential in protecting these animals when they arrive off Florida’s shorelines each season.

MDC’s Public Lecture Series is free, but donations to the center are always appreciated. Pre-registration is requested.

This lecture will be held outside at our amphitheater. Some chairs will be available, but guests are encouraged to bring their own folding chairs if desired. In case of inclement weather, the lecture will be moved inside to our Learning Lab. IT IS NOW BEING HELD INSIDE THE LEARNING LAB

The Marine Discovery Center is located off the North Causeway at 520 Barracuda Blvd., New Smyrna Beach, Fla. Guests attending the lecture should plan to use Quay Assisi to access MDC since the bridge is under construction on Barracuda Boulevard.

For more information about the lecture, contact the Marine Discovery Center at 386-428-4828.