The lab is named after North Atlantic right whale #1514, “Comet,” recognized by a comet-shaped scar acquired in 2002. First photographed in 1985 in Cape Cod Bay (Massachusetts, USA), Comet was regularly seen along the U.S. northeast coast and first appeared in Canada’s Gulf of St. Lawrence in 2017, returning for two more summers as one of many “Gulf whales.”

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     Comet sired at least two offspring: a daughter (#2042, born 1990 to #1142 “Kleenex”) and a son (#3843, born 2008), confirmed through genetic analysis.

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     Unfortunately, like many North Atlantic right whales, Comet’s family history is a painful one. Comet died in 2019 at about 34 years old from blunt force trauma consistent with a ship strike—one of nine right whale deaths that year in Canadian waters, following 17 in 2017. His son hasn’t been seen since 2018; his daughter disappeared after 2013, and Kleenex after 2018 following a prolonged fishing gear entanglement.

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     However, Comet’s legacy continues through his grandson (#4342), born to his daughter in the Gulf of Mexico before her disappearance. Despite challenges, #4342 has been sighted almost every year since birth and visited the Bay of Fundy in 2024, though not yet the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

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     Comet’s story underscores threats like vessel strikes and gear entanglement, while his grandson offers hope and motivation for ongoing research. Beyond research, COMeT Lab collaborates with partners like Transport Canada, using underwater gliders to detect whales in near real-time and trigger dynamic vessel slowdowns in the Gulf—helping prevent tragedies like Comet’s.

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     To learn more about the crucial work the lab is conducting, please browse our website and feel free to reach out with any questions!