Rare whale spring gathering in Cape Cod Bay
Some of the North Atlantic right whales in Cape Cod Bay
(PCCS image taken under NOAA permit 633-1763, under the authority of the U.S. Endangered Species Act and the MMPA)
By Beth Daley, Globe Staff
A magnificent marine spectacle is luring scores of awe-struck spectators to the sandy beaches of Provincetown: Giant rare whales, more than 70 of them, thrashing, frolicking, but mostly feeding in Cape Cod Bay.
Scientists have never seen so many North Atlantic right whales in the bay so early in the spring -- and they say the unprecedented group is a heartening reminder of the resiliency of the federally endangered species that has been ravaged by ship strikes and fishing gear entanglements in recent decades. Almost 20 percent of the estimated 375 leviathans left in the world have been seen in the bay in recent weeks, including ones researchers say they’ve never seen before.
"We see a lot of these animals through the years, but it is just remarkable -- jaw-dropping -- to see so many," said Charles “Stormy" Mayo, senior scientist at the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies, which has been conducting aerial and ship surveys of the whales for more than two decades. He said the animals started showing up in January, with their numbers dramatically increasing in recent weeks.
The lure appears to be billions of tiny marine organisms called zooplankton that have had a particularly productive year in the waters north and east of Cape Cod. Currents carried this whale food into the bay and within about a mile of Cape beaches. That means people can see the 40-ton, 45-foot animals best through binoculars -- and by looking for their telltale fluke above the water surface.
But the sightseeing may get even better: Scientists say zooplankton that can thrive in shallow surface waters could move in later in the spring. If that happens, the whales will likely follow and could feed within 100 feet of shore in some areas around Provincetown.
For now, the animals are acting like college students at a spring break pool party. They court each other by thrashing and rolling and, if lucky, mate -- hopefully to produce future young in their calving grounds off Georgia and Florida. But like college students, they also spend a lot of time eating – up to 4,000 pounds each a day.
"They are like plankton vacuum cleaners," said Ian Bowles, the state secretary of Energy and the Environment. He went out to see the whales last spring when there was also a large number in the bay. "You can see them cruising ... with their mouths open. I’m delighted to welcome them back to the Commonwealth.”
For centuries, hunters harpooned the right whales, so named because they were the "right whale" to hunt from the 11th century into the 1900s. Lumbering and feeding close to the surface, they were easy to kill. And once dead, they conveniently floated to the surface.
The whales' blubber oozed with valuable oil, and the giant mammals also held a fortune in their upper jaw's fringed plates. The dark-brown material served as an early plastic, used in everything from corsets to combs. In 1935, the League of Nations outlawed right whale hunting, but by then, there were only a few left in the western North Atlantic.
Unlike other species, right whale populations never significantly bounced back once hunting eased. Today, ship strikes and fishing gear entanglements continue to plague them. This winter alone, five right whales were spotted entangled off Georgia and Florida.
Yet there is reason for hope, scientists say: Efforts are underway to get more fishermen to use whale friendly fishing gear. New rules went into effect late last year to force large ships to slow down near right whales. Shipping lanes into Boston were even shifted two years ago to make sure big ships encountered whales less often.
The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, scientists say, has worked intensively to ensure there are few ship strikes and fishing entanglements in the bay. And this year, a record number of calves -- around 40 -- have been born off Florida and Georgia.
So in many ways, scientists and whale lovers say, the gathering in Cape Cod Bay is almost a celebration -- a sign that maybe things are beginning to turn around for the right whale. It is third year whale numbers have been high in the bay; last year, scientists estimated 70-100 were feeding there, although later in the season.
Mayo said the best places to view the animals are between Race Point and Herring Cove beaches in Provincetown and occasionally, bayside beaches in Truro and Wellfleet.
Don’t get in a boat to see them: Federal and state law prohibits anyone from getting within 500 yards of a North Atlantic right whale. And to make sure they don’t, Massachusetts Environmental police are aggressively patrolling the area.
"It's like the swallows of Capistrano," Mayo said. Just like that "dramatic arrival is a harbinger of spring ... the same thing happens here with whales in Cape Cod Bay."
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I'm surprised the governer didn't try to tax them.....
Bryan,
What a dumb a$$ thing to say about such an unusual and special event.
Bryan, that is hillirious!! I'm origiinally from Woburn(my mom, brother and 2 sisiters still live there). I am now living in Virginia and couldn't agree with you more, keep voting Kennedy and Barney F and you will always have a messed up state. Go Sox, Pats, Celts and Bruins.
"An explosion of plankton"... "the productivity of organisms that live in the water".... Does that mean the ocean's getting cleaner? Wouldn't that be nice.
LOL! Bryan, Yes, "Plankton" tax to go along with the soda, candy, and gas tax.
I have to say that comment #1 made me laugh out loud. That is a hysterical remark! Good one!
I love whales and I hope that the boaters follow the regulations when it comes to being near them.
Idiot.
I don't understand how people like you can bitch about the economy and then sarcastically talk about taxes like they're a bad thing; they're a NECESSARY thing.
they'll be getting their tax bills soon...
yenoham no one has any issues with taxes. However I want my dollars to go to fixing roads and SOME welfare programs that get people BACK to work. Not to pay 100K for the secretary to the secretary of wasting me money. People who work in the public sector should do so out of civic responsibility like every other state. In mass they do it to get rich
WHALES ROCK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It must of been awesome to see all those Whales
We should kill them & put a tax on the meat sold.
they are called right whales because they were deemed the "right" whales to kill. their feeding and social behaviors keep them near the ocean surface making it easier to hunt them. this also makes them quite vulnerable to ship strikes.
Aren't they going to rent a truck and take the whales to where they belong?
so they don't get hurt.
This state will surely try to tax the RIGHT whales. Now if they were LEFT whales, it would be a different story. They would be welcomed in and encouraged to sign up for whale-fare......
taxes are good. Beauracry is bad. Whales are awesome
Thanks Blunto. Leave it to a republican to ruin a good story with a stupid comment like that.
Lol Bryan.
golus lighten the hell up
will they have to pay the dreaded truro tax? what a scam that is
dvdubs,
Truth hurts, doesn't it?
If my comment "ruined a good story" for you, you need thicker skin.
Bluto - that was beautiful. you to Bryan. and wow dbdubs are you complaining because Bluto is right or because Bluto is RIGHT?
in order to tax them, we would have to recognize them as citizens, which considering this is Massachusetts, I'm surprised we don't already...then we need to get them free in-state tuition and discounted drivers licenses w/ someone else's personal information sold by someone from the registry...then we tax 'em!
Bryan, you truly made me laugh out loud! How right you are.
Speaking of taxes and these wonderful Right Whales, it is clear that metro Boston's large $ investment in proper wastewater treatment (at MWRA's Deer Island Treatment Plant) has been one of America's greatest environmental success stories. The beaches are safe to swim 90%+ of the time and getting better, and Cape Cod Bay was protected by a well-designed system that was completed on time and on budget. Compared to where Boston Harbor was 20 years ago, and the long-term concerns about the bay's health, we have come a long way and done the Right thing.
Refundable tax credits to all right whales to help them make it through these difficult times.
Do we want these krill-seekers hanging around our harbor? I think we should issue them cetaceans for breach of the peace.
Could they be attracted to the sewerage outlet that started flowing a few years ago from Deer Island?
Re: #4 "An explosion of plankton"... Actually means that there may be too much nutrients in the water. Aka pollution. Particularly nitrogen pollution from all the septic systems in the cape - it's been a chronic problem. At least it's helping the whales but it throws off the balance for many other organisms - hey, humans are helping one thing they've f#$%& up (whales) with another f*^% up!
It is nice to hear a that these whales are flourishing. It eases some of the horror of the massive number of whales beaching in West Australia.
I am still fighting the proposed off-shore Jacksonville Naval Sonar Range (in the middle of the right whale's only known calving grounds). If it is built, the right whale will be eradicated. I need help here! Please, everyone...protest this insane plan.
Please everyone, open up your hearts and see what a wondrous event this is and how incredibly lucky we are to witness it. :)
I was one of the many visitors to Race Point on Saturday to try and see the whales offshore. Unfortunately, many visitors were climbing up on the fragile dunes, while there was nary a park ranger in sight to stop them. What is the point of viewing one endangered species at the risk of losing another - namely the beautiful dunes of the Cape? People, do yourselves a favor - watch the whales from the beach.
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