PROVINCETOWN: After many hours scouring Cape Cod Bay and a few false alarms, those aboard the Research Vessel Shearwater on a bright April day make their first sighting: three North Atlantic right whales, including a rare mother-calf pair.

The captain cuts the engines and a trio of marine biologists spring into action, rapidly snapping photos and noting markings that can be used to identify individual animals and track injuries — a vital part of conservation efforts for a species believed to have 336 members.

While the whaling that drove them to near-extinction has long been banned, unintended collisions with ships and entanglements with fishing gear are today the main threats for Eubalaena glacialis, one of the most endangered mammals in the world.

Approaching 60 feet in length and weighing over 70 tons, the North Atlantic right whale is the third largest whale in existence. Their life spans are similar to humans, with individuals living up to a century.

“Unfortunately, since 2010, their population has been decreasing,” explains Christy Hudak, the leader of the Center for Coastal Studies’ expedition that set off from Provincetown, a historic New England fishing village that is today popular for whale watching and gay tourism.

“We’re trying to spread the word regarding these amazing creatures and just how a key species they are in the circle of life.” The CCS crew coordinates with an aerial survey plane, while a vessel from another research group flies mini-drones equipped with cameras over the whales as part of a study on the impact of rope entanglements on their growth rate.

Published in Dawn, April 18th, 2022