31 Right Whales Spotted East Of Nantucket

A New England Aquarium aerial survey team has sighted 31 North Atlantic right whales in shipping lanes east of Nantucket - prompting a call for sailors to slow down while navigating the area.

The aerial survey plane was flying over the Great South Channel on February 20 when Aquarium scientists onboard spotted a group of right whales surface feeding about 35 miles east of Nantucket. About four hours later, a second group of right whales was seen 20 miles east of Chatham, MA, which included a surface active group. Over the course of the six-hour flight, 31 individual right whales were identified in the area, which overlaps with shipping lanes into and out of Boston.

An aerial survey team from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Northeast Fisheries Science Center first sighted the aggregation of right whales on Jan. 31 and has been monitoring the group in the Great South Channel since then.

All photos below were taken by and shared with us by the New England Aquarium.