Threatened whale suffers mini baby boom off New England



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According to researchers in Cape Cod, an endangered whale species is currently experiencing a baby boomer in New England waters.

The North Atlantic right whale is one of the rarest whale species on the planet, with a figure of only about 411. However, the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown, Mass., Announced Friday that his team of aerial surveys had spotted two couples a day earlier. This brings to three the number observed only in the waters of New England this year.

This is great news because the whale population has declined and that no calf has been seen last year. In all, seven black whale calves have been seen so far this year.

Whales give birth in Georgia and Florida in winter and move in early spring to New England foraging grounds, including in the Gulf of Maine, a body of water that touches Massachusetts, the New Hampshire, Maine and Canada.

Cape Cod Bay is part of the Gulf of Maine and is an extremely important feeding area. The animals often feed near the shore, providing land-based observers with "a breathtaking view of one of the rarest marine mammals," said the Center for Coastal Studies in a statement.

It is illegal to approach animals within 457 meters (1,500 feet) of distance without a federal research permit. Boaters are discouraged from attempting to approach whales.

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