A large number of whales is visiting the waters off New England, and the group includes an unusually high number of an endangered species, said scientists who study the animals.
Large number of whale sightings off New England, including dozens of endangered sei whales
A large number of whales is visiting the waters off New England, and the group includes an unusually high number of an endangered species, said scientists who study the animals.
A research flight made 161 sightings of seven different species of whale on May 25 south of Martha’s Vineyard and southeast of Nantucket, officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday. The sightings included 93 of sei whales, and that is one of the highest concentrations of the rare whale during a single flight, the agency said.
Other highlights included two orcas – an uncommon sight off New England – one of which was toting a tuna in its mouth, NOAA said. There were also endangered North Atlantic right whales as well as humpback, fin, minke and sperm whales, the agency said.
The sightings do not necessarily represent 161 individual whales, because observers could be sighting the same animal more than once, said Teri Frady, the chief of research communications for the NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center. However, the observers clearly reported "a lot of whales," Frady said.