Beyond Calanus: changes to the copepod community in the northeast USA and implications for North Atlantic right whale foraging energetics

Declines and shifts in the distribution of the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) since 2010 have underscored the need to better understand drivers of right whale habitat use. While the influence of Calanus finmarchicus prey on right whale distribution is well established, less is known about the relative importance of other prey taxa, especially in habitats south of the Gulf of Maine. Using data from NOAA’s Ecosystem Monitoring Program (1980–2019), this study assesses spatiotemporal changes in copepod prey abundance and their implications for right whale foraging energetics, finding that decadal-scale changes were most pronounced in the Gulf of Maine, led by a summer increase of the smaller, less energy-dense copepod Centropages typicus.

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Recommended citation: Evans, T.C., Record, N.R., Ross, C.H., & Thorne, L.H. (2025). “Beyond Calanus: changes to the copepod community in the northeast USA and implications for North Atlantic right whale foraging energetics.” Endangered Species Research, 56, 1–17.