First right whales of season gorge on critical food off Massachusetts, giving hope for a strong year
Scientists studying a critically endangered whale species living off the coast of New England say encouraging early signs indicate the animals could have a strong feeding and breeding season.
The North Atlantic right whale is one of the rarest whale species in the world and it is estimated that there are approximately 370 of them in existence. The giant animals migrate, usually arriving in Cape Cod Bay near Massachusetts in early winter and staying until about mid-May. .
Scientists at the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown, Massachusetts, said they sighted the first two whales of the season in the bay on Nov. 18 and found the animals to be finding plentiful food. The scientists said the animals were observed feeding on small organisms at the surface of the water, a behavior they usually do not exhibit until much later in the season.
Water samples collected along the whales’ path showed a combination of the microscopic crustaceans the whales like to eat, said Christy Hudak, a researcher at the center. One of the crustaceans is Calanus finmarchicus, an oil-rich species that is crucial to whale health, Hudak said.
“While Calanus was not the dominant species in the sample, its presence in higher numbers is unusual for this time of year and it will be exciting to see if the food source will prove to be a peak season for whales in Cape Cod Bay this year, Hudak said.
The presence of abundant food off New England is the second positive news for whales in recent weeks. A group of researchers reported in October that the whale population increased by approximately 4% between 2020 and 2023.
The whale’s population declined by about 25% between 2010 and 2020, raising concerns among scientists and conservationists about possible extinction. Conservationists warned that despite recent encouraging signs, the species is still in urgent need of protection. The species includes fewer than 70 reproductively active females, which “highlights the urgent need for conservation efforts,” the Clearwater Marine Aquarium said in a statement.
The whales are threatened by entanglement commercial fishing gear and collisions with large ships. Scientists have said that warming oceans have sometimes caused the whales to stray from protected areas in search of food, making them more vulnerable to these threats.
Generations ago, whales were plentiful off the coast of New England, but they were decimated during the era of commercial whaling.