Injured right whale spotted

Seen in waters off Block Island

Authorities last week spotted an entangled North Atlantic right whale in waters about 50 miles off Block Island, the latest in a series of setbacks for the critically endangered species.

NOAA Fisheries said in a statement Friday that the injured right whale was spotted April 9.

In March, he had been seen in Cape Cod Bay “gear free,” or unencumbered by commercial fishing ropes, officials said. But last week, the whale had “rope coming out of both sides of its mouth,” it said.

“The rope also trails beyond the flukes, but the rope does not wrap around the whole body,” the NOAA said. “Fortunately, the whale’s overall condition is good, and he was observed feeding during the aerial sighting.”

Federal officials said specialists couldn’t travel safely to the whale’s last known location to rescue the creature and remove the rope because it was too far from shore.

“NOAA Fisheries and our partners will monitor this whale and attempt to respond to the entanglement, if possible, as weather and safety conditions allow,” officials said.

The agency did not have an update on the whale Monday.

“Endangered North Atlantic right whales are approaching extinction,” NOAA says on its website. Entanglements in fishing gear and vessel strikes “are long-standing threats to the recovery of the species,” the agency said.

The North Atlantic right whale remains at risk of extinction, with approximately 360 left in ocean waters, including fewer than 70 reproductively active females, according to NOAA.

A North Atlantic right whale who recently gave birth to her sixth calf was found dead off the coast of Virginia about two weeks ago, officials said. It was at least the fourth North Atlantic right whale to die this year, in addition to the disappearances of three calves, the New England Aquarium said this month.

In January, a juvenile right whale was found dead off Martha’s Vineyard. NOAA officials said the whale’s body was found with ropes tangled near its tail. Weeks later, a second right whale carcass washed up off the coast of Georgia, according to the Associated Press.

“Entanglement in fishing gear is one of the greatest threats to North Atlantic right whales,” NOAA says on its website. “NOAA Fisheries and our partners estimate that over 85 percent of right whales have been entangled in fishing gear at least once. Fishing gear can cut into a whale’s body, cause serious injuries, and result in infections and mortality.”

Early last month, the first baby right whale of the year was found dead, also off the Georgia coast. Researchers said the whale appeared to have been struck by a ship.

‘The rope also trails beyond the flukes, but the rope does not wrap around the whole body. Fortunately, the whale’s overall condition is good, and he was observed feeding.’

NOAA FISHERIES, in a statement about the whale