Saving Seafood

Boat operators warned to steer clear of whales

April 25, 2016 — State environmental officials this week issued a “high risk” warning to boat operators asking them to stay alert after five North Atlantic right whale mother and calf pairs were spotted foraging on plankton in Cape Cod Bay.

According to the advisory from the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, the highly endangered whales were seen feeding Thursday in the western part of the bay during an aerial survey conducted by researchers from the Center for Coastal Studies.

“Given their behavior and the proximity to vessel traffic, the situation presents a high risk of vessel collision to a sensitive and important segment of the right whale population,” according to a statement.

Read the full story at The Boston Globe

Right Whale, Wrong Place

April 20, 2016 — Whale watchers spent the day yesterday in Nahant looking for Mr. Right.

A wayward North Atlantic right whale made a splash just off the shore for most of the afternoon.

The endangered species is known to hang out near Cape Cod Bay this time of year, according to Charles “Stormy” Mayo, senior scientist at the Center for Coastal Studies in Cape Cod and director of the right whale ecology program.

“Anytime a few whales go up the shore it’s really a special thing and a rare occasion,” he said. 
“Every time, in the case of the right whales, their travel depends on the concentration of food; they’re grazers.”

Mayo added he thinks the whale frolicking off Nahant is likely to return to the Cape, where there is the highest concentration of North Atlantic right whales. Fewer than 500 are thought to exist.

Read the full story at the Boston Herald

Gloucester Daily Times: Right whale population continues to rebound

March 15, 2016 — Here’s a bit of good news about the ocean environment: Right whales, once thought to be on the brink of extinction, are returning to Cape Cod Bay in record numbers.

And it’s not a one-time event. Marine scientists say nearly half of the estimated right whale population of 500 has been spotted in the bay over the past few years. It’s a huge leap from years past, when researchers counted themselves fortunate to see more than a couple dozen visiting the bay in search of food.

“It’s rather extraordinary and somewhat mind-blowing,” Charles “Stormy” Mayo, a senior scientist and director of right whale ecology at the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown told the Associated Press.

“There has been a huge pulse in numbers in the past few years,” said Amy Knowlton, a scientist with the New England Aquarium’s Right Whale Research Project.

Read the full opinion piece at the Gloucester Daily Times