Protective Zone To Help Right Whales Extended To Late March

NANTUCKET, Mass.  - The federal government is extending the use of a protected zone off Massachusetts to help rare whales until at least later this month. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration established the zone to protect a group of right whales seen there on March 13. The agency says the zone will remain in effect through March 29. The area is located south of Nantucket. The agency has asked mariners to travel around the area or transit through at 10 knots or less. It says in a statement that whales have been spotted in or near shipping lanes, so mariners are asked to be "especially vigilant" in those areas. Right whales are among the rarest large whales. They are vulnerable to ship strikes and entanglement in fishing gear.