BOSTON — A new monitoring program in the Bay State will collect near real-time information about the presence of endangered North Atlantic Right Whales off the Massachusetts coast.
Earlier this year, researchers deployed two buoys off the coast of Cape Ann and Cape Cod Bay, officials said.
The acoustic monitoring system -- developed by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution -- will listen for, detect, classify, and report vocalizations of large whales in near real-time, with data transmitted to shore every two hours, officials said.
“Within a few hours of the buoys being in the water, they were already picking up detections, including vocalizations of right whales in Cape Cod Bay,” Division of Marine Fisheries Protected Species Program Manager Erin Burke said in a statement.
Acoustic analysts then review the data to confirm detections and verify species.
The critical data will help state officials better understand right whale presence, inform dynamic management of seasonal fishing closures and speed restrictions, and support future conservation measures, officials said in a statement.
“Massachusetts has a special responsibility to conserve North Atlantic Right Whales. Each season, we host over two-thirds of the remaining 370 individuals right here in Cape Cod Bay,” state Department of Fish & Game Commissioner Tom O’Shea said in a statement.
“While incredible progress has been made, human impacts and climate change continue to threaten the survival of this species,” O’Shea said. “Strong partnerships give this species the best chance of recovery.”
The program is a partnership between the state’s Division of Marine Fisheries and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
The buoys are also part of a larger real-time monitoring network along the East Coast. Data from the moored buoys is publicly available at Robots4Whales, officials said.
“The data from these systems are improving awareness of right whale presence in our marine backyard and helping to support important dynamic management measures to reduce risks to this highly endangered species,” Dr. Mark Baumgartner of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution said in a statement.
The program also includes archival passive acoustic monitoring as well as expanded aerial surveillance efforts in partnership with the Center for Coastal Studies.
“Together, these monitoring approaches provide data that will contribute to a better understanding of endangered right whales and assist in efforts to reduce harm from human impacts,” officials said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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