First right whales of season gorge on critical food off Massachusetts, giving hope for a strong year

Associated Press

Scientists who study a critically endangered species of whale that lives off New England say encouraging early signs suggest the animals could have a strong season for feeding and breeding. The North Atlantic right whale is one of the rarest whale species in the world and it is thought to number about 370. The giant animals migrate, and usually arrive in Cape Cod Bay off Massachusetts early in the winter and stay until around the middle of May. Scientists with the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown, Massachusetts, say they observed the first two right whales of the season in the bay on Nov. 18, and the whales are finding abundant food.