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Record January Right Whale Count in Cape Cod Bay Prompts Voluntary Slow Zone

NOAA requested 10‑knot vessel speeds after unusually concentrated right whale sightings in southern New England waters.

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A North Atlantic Right Whale sounds while feeding on plankton in Cape Cod Bay, off the coast of Provincetown. A team from the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies, was researching the right whale’s food supply today during their migration north.
A North Atlantic right whale with calf. Image via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain).
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Overview

  • Researchers with the Center for Coastal Studies recorded 33 North Atlantic right whales in a single January day in Cape Cod Bay, a likely record for the month.
  • The center has documented 54 right whales in the bay since November, with observers noting shallow subsurface feeding rather than the surface active groups more typical early in the season.
  • Aerial surveys by the New England Aquarium on Jan. 5 and 8 identified at least 23 unique whales south of Massachusetts, leading NOAA to activate a voluntary Dynamic Management Area with 10‑knot guidance through Jan. 20.
  • Right whales remain critically endangered, with an estimated 384 individuals at the end of 2024, and scientists report roughly 15 calves so far this calving season, including some first‑time mothers and shorter calving intervals.
  • Vessel strikes and fishing‑gear entanglement are the primary threats, federal rules prohibit approaching within 500 yards, and NOAA Fisheries estimates about 50 calves per year sustained over many years would be needed for a clear recovery trajectory.