The researchers in Provincetown Cape Cod spotted the first North Atlantic right whale calves yet this year.
The first sighting was in the Gulf of Maine waters on Monday. The Northeast Fisheries Science Center researchers identified a mother/calf pair in the Cape Cod Canal.
And just hours later a Center for Coastal Studies survey team spotted a different pair in Cape Cod Bay between Provincetown and Marshfield.
“The male calf spotted by the aerial team is the offspring of a whale named Pediddle. The mother is at least 39 years old and was first identified in 1978, and first spotted in Cape Cod Bay in 1979. The new calf is the eight documents offspring of Pediddle.
The survey team spotted 71 different right whales in the bay Monday, which is the most seen this season. The total is just under 15 percent of the entire species estimated population, which is around 500. “This extraordinary influx of whales marks the start of peak season here in the northeast,” said Charles “Stormy” Mayo, director of the Right Whale Ecology Program at the Center for Coastal Studies. “Over the last decade one third to one half of the entire right whale population has visited the bay to feed each year,” via Cape Cod.
The North Atlantic right whales are only seen in certain times of the year and this was the time when are coming out.
“I love it,” said a sophomore Tyler Woolen. She also said that it is very exciting that our world cares about nature so much and we are getting to hear about nature.
“Because whales swim continuously, exact locations are obsolete within minutes of a sighting. A specific date or date range may contain few or no sightings. This does not mean right whales were not present. The majority of the North Atlantic right whale population lives along the U.S. eastern seaboard for much of the year, but effort to find them is typically limited to seasonal whale watches or researchers dedicated to locating seasonal habitats. The whereabouts of most of the individuals in the population is unknown for much of the year. Right whales are likely to be present within Seasonal and Dynamic Management Areas even if no sightings are illustrated” via National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration.
“Center researchers have already spotted over 100 individual right whales this year.
“We expect to see many more during the next few weeks,” Mayo said.Right whales are the rarest of all large whale species and among the rarest of all marine mammal species,” via Cape cod.
It is great how many care to make an effort to keep us updated on the wonderful natural aspects. Its wonderful how much they care and take time to study these magnificent creatures.