NANTUCKET, Mass. – The federal government is extending a protective zone off Massachusetts to try to keep a large group of endangered whales safe from collisions with boats.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is applying the voluntary vessel speed restriction zone in an area 21 nautical miles south of Nantucket. A group of 17 right whales was seen in the area on Monday.
NOAA says the speed restriction zone will be in effect until Dec. 11. Mariners are asked to avoid the area or go through it at 10 knots or less.
Right whales number no more than 440 and have been hurt by heavy mortality and poor reproduction in recent years. The aggregation off Nantucket constitutes about 4 percent of the entire population of the animal, which was decimated by whaling.
Copy the Story Link
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.