December 1, 2013 — Only one North Atlantic right whale was spotted in the Gulf of Maine this fall by biologists who are tracking the species.
Rather than the dozens that are sometimes seen in the gulf in November, only a single right whale was seen during aerial surveys this fall, said Tim Cole, a biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
But the low count shouldn’t be interpreted as a bleak report on the status of the species, said spokesmen for NOAA, the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown, Mass., the New England Aquarium and other whale-monitoring organizations.
While right whales are very rare, with only about 500 remaining in the North Atlantic Basin, they range over a huge area and simply may be eluding scientists, the researchers said.
Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald