Watch out as right whales migrate off Florida-Georgia coastlines

Right whales are on the move off in Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia coastal waters, and federal officials are warning boaters of the endangered species's southern migration for the winter.

North Atlantic right whales are protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Their calving season begins in mid-November and runs through mid-April, according to marine biologists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries, Georgia Department of Natural Resources and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Scientists estimate there are as few as 400 right whales left as pregnant ones travel more than 1,000 miles from feeding grounds off Canada and New England to warm coastal waters off South Carolina, Georgia and northeast Florida. Then the whales give birth and nurse their young.

Since right whales are dark, swim slowly at or just below the water's surface and have no dorsal fin that leaves a wake, they are difficult to see they, biologists say. To reduce the risk of collisions with boats, federal law requires vessels 65 feet long or greater to slow to 10 knots or less in seasonal management areas along the coast. Speed restrictions are also in place through April 15. Recreational boaters and fishermen should also watch out for right whales and keep their smaller boats clear.

Federal law prohibits approaching or remaining within 500 yards of right whales by boat or plane.

For more information on those restrictions, visit www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/shipstrike.

To report dead, injured or entangled whales, contact NOAA Fisheries at (877) 433-8299.