Maria Blogs

Spring is in the air Oh yeah. Atlantic Right whlaes are back in Cape Cod Bay. Weee! The North Atlantic right whale is one of the most endangered species in the world with only 300 – 400 whales in existence. The amount of time they spend on the surface makes collision with ships a frequent enough occurence.

In Cape Cod, one of the most lucrative businesses during the summer is whale watching and though there is a mandatory distance imposed, sometimes it is too late to spot these gentle giants as they come to the surface.

NOAA (National Oceanic and Athmospheric Administration), has imposed a 10knot speed limit extending 20 nautical miles off all` major  mid Atlantic ports where the right whales passes.

The 10-knot speed restriction will extend out to 20 nautical miles around major mid-Atlantic ports. According to NOAA researchers, about 83 percent of right whale sightings in the mid-Atlantic region occur within 20 nautical miles of shore. The speed restriction also applies in waters off New England and the southeastern U.S., where whales gather seasonally.

The speed restrictions apply in the following approximate locations at the following times; they are based on times whales are known to be in these areas:

• Southeastern U.S. from St. Augustine, Fla. to Brunswick, Ga. from Nov. 15 to April 15
• Mid-Atlantic U.S. areas from Rhode Island to Georgia from Nov. 1 to April 30
• Cape Cod Bay from Jan. 1 to May 15
• Off Race Point at northern end of Cape Cod from March 1 to April 30
• Great South Channel of New England from April 1 to July 31

- http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2008/20081208_shipstrike.html

Anyhow, the right whales are again appearing in record numbers on Cape Cod Bay and camping out on Race Point in the late afternoon hours is by far one of the most pleasurable means to pass time waiting to see the whales from shore and later, watching a magnificent sunset.

Funnily enough, people don’t come that much to Provincetown during Spring when one can watch the whales a hundred feet away from the beach only to descend in droves during summer to take one of the commercial whale watching out to Stellwagen Bank for a fee.