right whales

BOSTON - A member of a species of critically endangered whale that is struggling with poor reproduction has been found dead off of Massachusetts.

The Canadian government says it is taking steps to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales from encounters with fishing vessels and gear.

The whales are one of the world's rarest marine mammals, and they have struggled with high mortality in recent years, especially in Canadian waters. Fisheries and Oceans Canada says it is enacting temporary fisheries closures in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and off Quebec.

An endangered North Atlantic right whale has been swimming off the coast of York County — a rare sighting of the giant mammal at a time when its population may be headed toward extinction.

The whale has been seen swimming — and spouting — off Cape Neddick, Ogunquit, and Wells over the past few days. Tony LaCasse, a spokesman at the New England Aquarium, says right whales historically have spent time in the spring in eastern Cape Cod Bay, but this year have been showing up closer to the mainland shore — including in the Marblehead, Massachusetts, area.

NANTUCKET, Mass. - Federal ocean managers are extending a voluntary speed restriction zone off of Massachusetts to try to help protect endangered right whales.
 
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration established the zone to protect a group of eight North Atlantic right whales spotted 20 nautical miles south of Nantucket on March 29. The agency says the zone will be in effect through April 12.
 
NOAA asks mariners to route around the area altogether or transit through it at 10 knots or less.
 

NANTUCKET, Mass. - The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is announcing a voluntary speed restriction zone south of Nantucket to protect a group of rare whales.
 
The federal agency said Tuesday that the restriction for mariners will be in effect through Feb. 5 to protect a group of 22 North Atlantic right whales seen south of Nantucket on Tuesday.
 
Right whales are among the most endangered marine mammals, and are coming off of a year of high mortality and low reproduction.
 

PORTLAND, Maine - Researchers with the federal government and the New England Aquarium say they've developed a new model to provide better estimates about the North Atlantic right whale population, and the news isn't good.
 
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the model could be critically important to saving the endangered species, which is in the midst of a year of high mortality. The agency says the analysis shows the probability the population has declined since 2010 is nearly 100 percent.
 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is officially launching an investigation into the unusually high numbers of North Atlantic right whale deaths this year.

NOAA has declared an "Unusual Mortality Event," after at least 13 of the rare whales have been found dead this year off New England and Canada.