“Right Whales: Species on the Brink” is the topic of a talk by Jesse Mechling, Director of Marine Education from the Center for Coastal Studies, at the Vineyard Haven Public Library on Tuesday, April 30, at 5:30 pm.
Mechling will discuss the status of the North Atlantic right whale, one of the most endangered marine animals on earth. He will explore the natural history of the right whale and present the latest Center for Coastal Studies research gathered from the Center’s aerial and ship-based surveillance, and habitat and food resource monitoring.
North Atlantic right whales calve off the coast of the southeast US in winter before migrating north to New England and Canadian feeding grounds. Each year during the last decade, Cape Cod Bay has been host to one of the largest feeding aggregations of right whales during winter and early spring. This season, researchers from the Center for Coastal Studies have already observed 123 individual right whales in the bay.
The season’s first sighting of a North Atlantic right whale and her calf in Massachusetts waters occurred off Marshfield on April 1. This is an encouraging event, given that North Atlantic right whales are critically endangered. Their population is estimated to be fewer than 360 individuals.
Ship strikes represent one of the greatest threats to North Atlantic right whales. Important efforts are being taken to reduce this danger. During right whale season, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts requires that vessels travel no faster than 10 knots in coastal waters and Cape Cod Bay where the whales aggregate.
The event will be held at the Vineyard Haven Public Library, 200 Main Street, Vineyard Haven.
For more information call the library at 508-696-4210 or go to www.vhlibrary.org
About the Center for Coastal Studies
Founded in 1976, The Center for Coastal Studies (CCS) in Provincetown, MA is a non-profit organization dedicated to understanding, preserving and protecting marine ecosystems and the coastal environment through applied research, education and public policy initiatives. For more information go to: www.coastalstudies.org.
