Right whale sightings in record numbers

Interesting new Cape Cod this week: for some reason 'our' Northern Right whales are congregating there this spring in record numbers before they make their annual trek up to the Bay of Fundy for summer feeding.

Staff at the Provincetown (Massachusetts) Center for Coastal Studies have identified at least 120 whales - that's out of a worldwide population of about 400 of these critically endangered whales.

Marine Fisheries has issued an advisory to mariners in the region which has insured that boat speeds are set at 10 knots for a circle about 10 miles in diameter around Provincetown until the whales leave the area for the Bay of Fundy as they usually do by early May.

Whale monitoring is certainly an international effort with many researchers up and down the Atlantic seaboard in various states and provinces keeping a close eye on Right whales and other whales. From this map you can see the normal annual travel range of Northern Right whales

Here in the Bay of Fundy, our whale watch tour companies not only follow a strict code of ethics to protect the whales but also contribute to whale research by logging sighting details from now through November when the whales head south again. Kudos to these small tourism business operators for contributing to public awareness of Right whales and for doing their bit to add to the vast body of knowledge about this endangered species.