January 3, 2024 — Massachusetts is receiving more than $4.6 million in federal funds to support an array of conservation efforts for the endangered North Atlantic right whale, state officials said.
In a recent statement, the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs said the money, coupled with a separate $475,000 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, will help “bolster development” of fishing gear technology that can reduce entanglements, a leading cause of death for large whales.
The funds will also support the state’s Division of Marine Fisheries’ “ongoing research and monitoring” of right whale migratory patterns and the distribution of fishing gear to lobstermen that can mitigate harm to right whales.