Endangered North Atlantic right whales flock to Cape Cod Bay to feed
PROVINCETOWN - Endangered North Atlantic right whales have been spotted off the coast of Cape Cod over the last week.
Why are there so many whales off of Cape Cod?
The Center for Coastal Studies said it has seen at least 85 right whales in Cape Cod Bay, many swimming close to shore along the west side of the bay.
According to the center, the whales are in Cape Cod to feed on large patches of zooplankton
Entangled North Atlantic right whale
Scientists are trying to help one of the whales that has had fishing gear caught in its mouth for four months.
The Marine Animal Entanglement Response Team at the Center for Coastal Studies was able to remove some of the gear from the 5-year-old whale's mouth on Thursday, but some of the gear remains. The team is still hoping to remove the rest of the deadly gear from the whale's mouth.
"This will be a particularly challenging case to solve. While there may be enough entangling gear on the whale to kill him over the long term, there is not enough gear for us to use techniques we would normally use. With that in mind, I would temper expectations for this case," MAER Director Scott Landry said.
The whale was seen entangled off Georges Bank in December by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, but the whale was too far offshore for a rescue team to respond before sunset. The whale had ropes and buoys caught around his upper jaw.
Then, on April 10, the whale was spotted in Cape Cod Bay. The response team used a grappling hook to remove some of the entanglement but couldn't get near the whale a second time to remove the rest of the fishing gear. However, the whale was seen feeding with other whales on Monday and Tuesday, and the response team is looking for another chance to disentangle the whale.
Endangered whales
There are estimated to be 372 right whales left in the world. The biggest threats to the species are boat strikes and fishing gear entanglement.
It is illegal to get within 500 yards of a North Atlantic right whale without a research permit. The whales often feed close to shore, though, offering people a chance to view the animals from the shore.
