Environmentalists have recorded a large cluster of whales off the coast of New England (USA).
According to them, during aerial photography of the area the other day, a group of about 75 North Atlantic right whales (which is 20% of the population of this species) was spotted on a 10-mile (16 km) stretch off the western edge of Jeffreys Ledge. This is an underwater area not far from Cape Ann, New Hampshire and southern Maine, where right whales have gathered before, but in much smaller numbers.
This species of whale is endangered.
Researchers estimate that this is an unusually large number of right whales to be seen in the north in the middle of winter. "This is not an area where we would normally see such large groups, especially at this time of year," said researcher and aerial survey leader Orla O'Brien. Scientists believe the animals are approaching the shores in search of food.
Over the past year, she said, there have been several cases of large clusters of whales in unexpected places. Last summer, more than 80 whales were spotted south of Long Island in New York, hundreds of miles from New England and Canadian waters, where they usually spend the summer.
"This suggests that whales are very dynamically responding to processes in the ocean, and as conditions and climate change in the Gulf of Maine and surrounding waters, we are seeing whales behaving in ways we don't expect," she said.
One of the whales spotted was identified as "Loki" - an adult of unknown sex that has only been seen six times in the past 20 years in New England waters.
Researchers from the plane noticed fishing gear in the area where the whales were swimming - the greatest threat to them are boats with which the animals can collide, and nets in which they often get entangled.
According to O'Brien, the current cluster zone may be a dangerous place for whales. "There is intense fishing in this area, and there is no protection for whales there," she said.
Federal authorities are ordering boaters to slow down or avoid the area altogether.
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