Environment

Endangered right whales pass through Cape Cod Canal, shut down waterways

"We're seeing a very notable decline in the species, which is of great concern."

A North Atlantic right whale feeds on the surface of Cape Cod bay off the coast of Plymouth, Mass. in March 2018. Michael Dwyer/AP

By Melissa Ellin

2 minutes to read

The Cape Cod Canal was closed for passage Saturday and Sunday, as three endangered whales trekked the waters, WCVB reports. 

North Atlantic right whales are considered the third most endangered species in the world, according to the National Atlantic Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. As of Sunday evening, the canal was still closed to ensure their safe passage, the Official First Coast Guard District Northeast announced.

The U.S. National Coast Guard and the Massachusetts Environmental Police are monitoring the whales’ passing, WCVB reported. The whales were halfway through the canal Saturday afternoon.

Right whales are currently in migration and during this time of year, it is typical for them to pass through Massachusetts Bay and Cape Cod Bay to feed on the large population of microplankton, according to the Center for Coastal Studies Right Whale Ecology Program. More than 80% of the whales were identified in the waters between January and May of 2022.

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This is not the first time these whales have shown up on the state’s radar. In February, the NOAA issued an emergency rule, prohibiting fishing in certain areas of Massachusetts Bay. 

Amy Knowlton, a senior scientist with the Anderson Cabin Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium, has been studying the North Atlantic right whales for years.

NEA also keeps a catalog of right whale photographs on its website. Knowlton said through this they have found that the whale population has decreased by over 100 in the past decade.

“We’re seeing a very notable decline in the species, which is of great concern,” she said.

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The decrease, she added, is largely due to human intervention. In particular, vessel strikes and entanglement from fishing. A vessel strike is when a boat hits a marine animal. NOAA has put speed restrictions in place to avoid vessel strikes.

To address right whale entanglement in ropes from fishing, the National Marine Fisheries Service is being asked to update lobster and crab fishing regulations by 2024, but they won’t take effect until 2028.

Knowlton said the goal of restrictions is not to stop fishing, but to find a way for the whales and humans on the water to “co-exist.”

“These are really critical measures,’ she said. “We need to expand them to help save this species.”

She added that “this is their home.”

Congress is seeking to institute an emergency rule for the dwindling population of whales. The current number of North Atlantic right whales in the world is under 350, according to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.

This article has been updated to clarify that whales tend to get entangled in heavy ropes rather than nets.

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