Dozens of North Atlantic proper whales have been unexpectedly noticed in transport lanes off the Bay State coast throughout winter, as researchers urge mariners to decelerate close to the critically endangered species.
A New England Aquarium aerial survey workforce just lately counted 31 North Atlantic proper whales in transport lanes east of Nantucket.
The aerial survey aircraft was flying over the Great South Channel final week when Aquarium scientists noticed a bunch of proper whales floor feeding about 35 miles east of Nantucket.
Then about 4 hours later, a second group of proper whales was seen 20 miles east of Chatham, which included a floor lively group. Over the course of the six-hour flight, 31 particular person proper whales had been recognized within the space — which overlaps with transport lanes into and out of Boston.
One of those proper whales was an grownup feminine named “Caterpillar.” The whale’s title comes from a big scar on her again that she acquired because of a vessel strike seven years in the past.
“Right whales only surface feed under specific conditions, so we felt really lucky to document them this winter,” stated Katherine McKenna, assistant analysis scientist within the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life on the New England Aquarium.
“Many of the whales identified so far are adults, including several calving females who have given birth in recent years,” added McKenna, who was aboard the flight.
Last week’s whale sightings triggered NOAA to increase a voluntary gradual pace zone — referred to as a Dynamic Management Area (DMA) — for mariners to cut back their pace to 10 knots to guard the whales. The DMA is in impact till March 7, one among a number of lively voluntary gradual zones from Maine to Virginia on account of proper whale sightings.
These protections come amid the latest lack of two feminine proper whales — one discovered off of Georgia after being struck by a vessel.
The aggregation of whales within the Great South Channel was sudden for this time of yr.
“We know a lot about right whales, but they still surprise us all the time,” stated Orla O’Brien, an affiliate analysis scientist within the Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center who leads the aerial survey workforce.
“While historically the Great South Channel has been a hotspot for feeding whales, it is unusual to see them there during the winter,” O’Brien added. “That makes the work of aerial surveys important in documenting this sighting, especially as the whales are surface feeding in the middle of a shipping lane.”
Researchers estimate that the North Atlantic proper whale inhabitants is much less than 360 people.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”