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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jun/13/whale-sightings-new-england>
"An unexpected number of whales is visiting the waters off New England,
including 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 25
May south of Martha’s Vineyard and south-east of Nantucket, officials with the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) said on Thursday. The
sightings included 93 of sei whales, 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 Noaa’s Northeast Fisheries Science
Center. However, the observers clearly reported “a lot of whales”, Frady said.
“It is not unusual that there are a lot of whales in the area this time of
year. But since we do not survey every day, or in the same areas every time we
fly, catching such a large aggregation with such a variety of species on one of
our flights is the exception rather than the rule,” Frady said."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
