BOSTON (WPRI) — Researchers believe a critically endangered North Atlantic right whale traveled a long way before it was spotted feeding in Massachusetts Bay last month.
During the second aerial survey of the 2025-2026 season, researchers with the Center for Coastal Studies (CCS) spotted the first North Atlantic right whale of the season.
There are only an estimated 384 of those whales left in the world, and between December and mid-May, a significant portion of their population comes to the nutrient-rich waters off the coast of Massachusetts.
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In a press release, the CCS, along with the New England Aquarium and the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, revealed that scientists were able to match the whale spotted on Nov. 19 to a whale that was last seen in Ireland’s Donegal Bay back in July 2024…