The scientists hope the information they glean from tracking the whales will help them understand how to protect the humpbacks and other endangered whales from being struck by ships or tangled in fishing lines.

Left, a whale that was hit by a boat Saturday, July 14, 2007, near Rye, N.H. The whale suffered a deep gash in its side, but did not appear to be seriously hurt, according to an investigator from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.