January 22

Whale sighting in Cape Cod Bay concerns scientists

The Associated Press

BARNSTABLE, Mass. — Biologists are concerned about a North Atlantic right whale and its 3-week old calf seen swimming the waters of Cape Cod Bay.

Experts say it's highly unusual to see the endangered whales off the coast of Massachusetts at this time of year.

Charles "Stormy" Mayo of the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies says he's worried about their ability to survive colder waters.

The mother and calf were first sighted Jan. 12. Typically, right whales calve in warmer waters off Georgia and Florida and arrive in Cape Cod Bay with their young in the spring.

Mayo tells the Cape Cod Times the earliest a mother and her calf have appeared in Cape waters is March 26.

Scientists theorize that the calf was likely born in the area, given its age.

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