Dear colleagues, We are pleased to announce the recent publication of the following paper on blubber thickness of free-swimming right whales. The paper is available online and Open Access from: http://www.int-res.com/articles/meps_oa/m438p267.pdf *Carolyn A. Miller, Desray Reeb, Peter B. Best, Amy R. Knowlton, Moira W. Brown, Michael J. Moore * Blubber thickness in right whales /Eubalaena glacialis/ and /Eubalaena australis/ related with reproduction, life history status and prey abundance Marine Ecology Progress Series 438:267-283 The high variability in reproductive performance of North Atlantic right whales /Eubalaena glacialis/ compared to southern right whales /Eubalaena australis/ may reflect differences in lipid reserves. Amplitude-mode ultrasound was used to measure the thickness of right whale integument (epidermis and blubber, herein referred to as blubber thickness) in /E. glacialis/ in the Bay of Fundy, Canada for 5 summer seasons and in /E. australis/ off the South African coast for 2 austral winter seasons. /E. glacialis/ had significantly thinner blubber layers (mean ±1 SD = 12.23 ± 2.16 cm, n = 172) than /E. australis/ (16.13 ± 3.88 cm, n = 117), suggesting differing levels of nutrition between the 2 species. Blubber was thickest in females measured 3 to 6 mo prior to the start of pregnancy (/E. glacialis/), thinner during lactation (/E. glacialis, E. australis/) and then thicker with time after weaning (/E. glacialis/). These results suggest that lipids in blubber are used as energetic support for reproduction in female right whales. Blubber thickness increased in calves during suckling (/E. glacialis, E. australis/) but subsequently decreased after weaning (/E. glacialis/). Juvenile and adult male /E. glacialis/ blubber thicknesses were compared between years of differing prey /Calanus finmarchicus/ abundances (data from Pershing et al. 2005; ICES J Mar Sci 62:1511--1523); during a year of low prey abundance whales had significantly thinner blubber than during years of greater prey abundance. Taken together, these results suggest that blubber thickness is indicative of right whale energy balance and that the marked fluctuations in North Atlantic right whale reproduction have a nutritional component. Kind regards, Carolyn A. Miller