Robot searches for rare North Atlantic right whales

by Rosamaria Kubny
09/17/2026
A critically endangered North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) swims alongside five dolphins through the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary off the coast of Massachusetts. The aerial photograph was taken on 24 June 2020 as part of scientific observations. (Image: Allison Henry / NOAA)

An autonomous underwater robot is set to solve one of the North Atlantic’s greatest mysteries in the coming weeks: are the critically endangered North Atlantic right whales returning to their former feeding grounds between Greenland and Iceland?

An international research team has been studying the Irminger Sea, south-east of Greenland, since July 2026. The focus is on the so-called Cape Farewell Grounds off Cape Farvel. The area was once a major feeding ground for North Atlantic right whales – and, at the same time, a centre of historic whaling. Today, the animals are only observed there extremely rarely.

Three North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) feeding at the water’s surface in Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts. In a process known as ‘skim feeding’, the whales swim through plankton-rich water and filter their food from the sea using their baleen. (Photo: Brigid McKenna / Centre for Coastal Studies; USGS/NOAA, Public Domain)

The robot listens to the whales

For the search, the scientists are using an autonomous Slocum Glider. The underwater robot was deployed from the research sailing vessel SV Barba and moves largely autonomously through the waters between Greenland and Iceland.

On board is a hydrophone that continuously records underwater sounds. This enables the glider to detect the characteristic calls of northern right whales, sei whales, humpback whales and blue whales. At the same time, it measures, amongst other things, water temperature and salinity. The acoustic data is transmitted via satellite and analysed by specialists. Confirmed whale sightings can then be tracked via WhaleMap. The glider is due to be recovered off the coast of Iceland at the end of September.

A North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) with her calf, photographed from the air. The calf stays close to its mother – aerial photographs such as this enable researchers to identify individual animals and monitor the condition of both mother and calf. (Photo: NOAA)

Only around 380 North Atlantic right whales remain

The North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) is one of the rarest large whales on Earth. According to the University of Iceland, there are now only around 380 animals left, including just around 70 breeding females. Centuries of intensive hunting had brought the species to the brink of extinction. Their slow reproductive rate continues to hamper their recovery to this day.

Furthermore, collisions with ships and entanglement in fishing gear pose a threat to the animals. At the same time, the warming of the North Atlantic is altering their feeding grounds and migration routes. Over the past 15 years, North Atlantic right whales have increasingly moved into regions where, until now, there have been virtually no protective measures in place for them.

An autonomous Slocum glider searches beneath the sea’s surface for the calls of North Atlantic right whales. Equipped with acoustic sensors, the research robot can detect whale calls almost in real time and transmit the data via satellite. This makes it possible to track right whales even in areas where sightings from ships or aeroplanes are difficult. (Photo: The Nature Conservancy / Christopher McGuire)

This is precisely why the search between Greenland and Iceland is of particular importance. As recently as 2024, a northern right whale was confirmed off the coast of Ireland for the first time in 114 years. Individual animals have also been recorded off Iceland in recent decades. Such sightings suggest that at least some northern right whales continue to cross the Atlantic.

Should the underwater robot now detect northern right whales in their historic feeding grounds off Greenland, this could provide important clues about migration routes that are as yet largely unknown. The data could also play a role in future decisions regarding shipping routes, fisheries and marine protected areas.

Research institutions from Iceland, Canada, the USA and Norway are involved in the project, including the University of Iceland, NOAA, Dalhousie University, the University of New Brunswick, Oregon State University and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Rosamaria Kubny, PolarJournal