The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) Fisheries has asked mariners to avoid or slow down in an area south of Martha’s Vineyard, where 14 right whales were spotted on March 6.
The voluntary speed restriction of 10 knots or less applies to vessels longer than 65 feet, 16 nautical miles south of the Vineyard. The request will remain in effect through March 21.
Right whales, whose population has declined to about 500, are critically endangered, according to the most recent data from NOAA. It’s the second time this year that the agency has requested a speed restriction in the area. Ten right whales were previously spotted, and a voluntary restriction was put into effect through March 8.
There is also a mandatory speed restriction off Race Point near Provincetown, in effect through April 30.
New England waters are important habitats for right whales, which feed on copepods — small crustaceans — as well as zooplankton. Right whales spend winters in the warmer waters of the southeastern United States, near Georgia and northern Florida, where they deliver their calves. The whales migrate north in the spring and feed there through the fall.
Major threats right whales face are ship collisions and entanglement in fishing gear, as well as habitat loss, pollution, and climate change.
Approaching closer to a right whale than 500 yards is a violation of federal and state law. Please report all right whale sightings to NOAA at 866-755-6622.