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Endangered Right Whale Dies In Cape Cod Boat Collision
Cape Cod researchers said a North Atlantic right whale calf was recently killed by a boat propeller strike. Only 523 whales remain.
BARNSTABLE, MA — There are only an estimated 523 North Atlantic right whales left on the planet, so any deaths take on added significance — especially with calves. On Thursday, a right whale calf was found dead from a boat propeller strike in Cape Cod Bay. Researchers called it "upsetting."
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The good news for the species is over the last week, a record 206 right whales — including four calves — were spotted in Cape Cod Bay alone. The whale's habitat ranges from Nova Scotia down to Georgia.
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Boat propeller strikes and fishing gear entanglements pose huge threats to right whales, which are critically endangered. Federal regulations require boats and aircraft stay at least 500 yards from right whales.
"We are upset about the loss of this calf, especially as right whales are at very low abundance and every calf is critically important to their recovery," says Kim Damon-Randall, an administrator for NOAA Fisheries' Protected Resources Division. "We were very excited about the large number of right whale sightings in Cape Cod Bay including the four calves."
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Right whales, which grow up to 50 feet and 80 tons, are drawn to Cape Cod Bay to feed on zooplankton. The whales were nearly hunted into extinction in the 1800s and in 1935 most countries agreed to stop hunting them. Their population plummeted to an estimated 295 in 1992.
Researchers said right whales spend a lot of time near the ocean surface and can be difficult to see.
"Look for blows, ripples in the water, and patches of plankton--these are often signs that whales are in the area," Damon-Randall added.
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Photo: A North Atlantic right whale calf was found dead in Cape Cod Bay April 13, 2017. (Credit: U.S. Coast Guard-Northeast)
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