According to the New England Aquarium in Boston, Massachusetts, a new study found that endangered whales are spending more time in Cape Cod Bay off the coast of Massachusetts before moving north. The study was published in Global Ecology and Conservation, the New England Aquarium said in a press release, and “examined the effects of climate change on the rapidly warming Gulf of Maine ecosystem.” Some whale rescue experts worry that the southern migration of right whales will increase their risk of entanglement. (Submitted by New England Aquarium) The scientists who conducted the study found that when spring comes early, “the temperature cue that directs right whales to Cape Cod Bay occurs earlier, extending the time whales spend in this habitat,” the release said. Right whales feed on copepods, tiny crustaceans that were once abundant in the Bay of Fundy. The whales have since migrated to the Gulf of St. Lawrence to find their food source, as well as Cape Cod Bay. Laura Ganley, a researcher at the New England Aquarium, said the expectation was that earlier sources would have “higher densities” of the right whales’ primary food source. But he said that didn’t turn out to be the case. Laura Ganley, a researcher at the New England Aquarium, said that as right whales migrate to Cape Cod Bay, conservation efforts must move with them. (Submitted by New England Aquarium) “Higher numbers of right whales and lower prey availability … could unfortunately be a warning sign that the whales’ nutritional needs are not being met,” Ganley said. He said knowing this change in behavior “presents an opportunity.” “If we’re not one step ahead of them and we’ve put these mitigation measures in place to slow the ships down and reduce the risks of entanglement, then it’s going to be a problem,” he said. “That’s when you get high-fatality cases.” Ganley said the study in Global Ecology and Conservation builds on research published earlier this month by the New England Aquarium. That research, authored by Ganley, “revealed that peak use of Cape Cod Bay by right whales has shifted nearly three weeks later over the past 20 years.”
‘It’s disappointing’
Mackie Greene, director of Campobello Whale Rescue, said signs that right whales are staying south are “disappointing” because they will make rescue efforts that much more difficult. Campobello Whale Rescue director Mackie Greene is concerned that the migration will make saving North Atlantic right whales more difficult. (CBC) “When they get into a pattern, we can get used to it and know which fisheries are affected and where we need to focus our efforts,” Green said. “When they keep changing their routine, it makes it very difficult.” Green said right whales moving south and expanding their range increase their chances of entanglement.
You may run out of places to go
Ganley said that while the migration is worrisome because the whales may run out of places to go as climate change continues to cause temperatures to rise, it can also be seen in a positive light, revealing an ability to adapt to new realities. “They have the ability to understand, ‘Oh, the Gulf of St. Lawrence, this is the place to be,’” he said. “It’s nice to me that they have the ability to adapt.”
