Whale of a sight
Right whale mother and calf spotted in Cape Cod Bay
The first North Atlantic right whale mother and calf pair of the year has arrived in Cape Cod Bay, according to researchers who spotted the pair over the weekend.
As the critically endangered species returns to the region, scientists are urging all boaters to follow state and federal speed restrictions to avoid striking right whales.
On Saturday, the Center for Coastal Studies’ Right Whale Ecology Program team saw Porcia and her 2023 calf. Porcia, a 21-yearold right whale, was first seen with her new calf in late December off the coast of Georgia.
The North Atlantic right whale is critically endangered with an estimated 340 animals remaining, and the species is protected under the federal Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
“That designation legally prohibits boats and aircraft from approaching within 500 yards of them,” the Center for Coastal Studies said in a statement. “It also restricts vessel speeds in designated areas, including Cape Cod waters. The right whale’s greatest threats to survival are being struck by a vessel or becoming entangled in rope.”
Over the course of their annual migration, the majority of the right whale population usually visits Cape Cod Bay and its surrounding waters. This season, researchers first spotted right whales in late December, and they continued to arrive throughout January and February.
Mother and calf pairs typically make the long and perilous trip from their calving grounds off the coast of Georgia and Florida, and arrive in Cape Cod Bay in mid-March.
“Our local waters are a sanctuary for new mothers and their offspring,” said Charles “Stormy” Mayo, director of the Center for Coastal Studies’ Right Whale Ecology Program.
So far this year, 12 right whale calves have been identified in the Southeast, where they are born.
Once here, mother and calf pairs often linger in Cape Cod and Massachusetts Bays, where they feed and rest before continuing on their northern migration. As part of its research, the right whale team regularly examines bay zooplankton samples to understand what right whales eat and their feeding habits.
With a large population of right whales and their calves present, the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries places a seasonal 10-knot speed restriction in Cape Cod Bay for vessels less than 65 feet in length.
That speed restriction is in place from March 1 to April 30, and can be extended if whales remain in the area. Also, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has a 10-knot seasonal speed restriction in and around Cape Cod Bay for vessels 65 feet or greater.