The massachusetts right whale conservation program will continue intensive efforts by the massachusetts division of marine fisheries (MA DMF) and the center for coastal studies (CCS) to manage,…

The massachusetts right whale conservation program will continue intensive efforts by the massachusetts division of marine fisheries (MA DMF) and the center for coastal studies (CCS) to manage, protect, and recover north atlantic right whales found in state waters and adjacent areas. Funding for a three-year period starting august 1, 2024, will provide partial support for a contract to CCS for surveillance research and monitoring of north atlantic right whales (eubalaena glacialis) and for entanglement response for all large whale species, as well as provide funding for project management conducted by MA DMF. The surveillance program consists of long-term projects with direct conservation impact: aerial and focused shipboard ecosystem surveys of right whales from late fall through the spring in cape COD BAY, massachusetts BAY, and adjacent areas. The disentanglement project will contribute to ongoing conservation efforts and entanglement readiness and response for large whales from new hampshire to rhode island. Aerial surveillance and habitat monitoring efforts document the distribution and abundance of right whales in relation to foraging requirements with the aim of defining and reducing human impacts, including ship strikes, entanglements, and degradation of habitat quality. These projects focus on the large portion of the remaining right whale population of the north atlantic ocean that uses massachusetts coastal waters, a uniquely accessible area for monitoring a significant number of individual right whales, permitting the identification and management of risks to the population in massachusetts waters and other habitats. MA DMF uses the aerial surveillance data to dynamically manage risks to right whales, including potential impacts from entanglement and small vessel collisions. Sightings of right whales found during surveys will be reported in near-real time to the national marine fisheries service (nmfs) right whale sightings advisory system (SAS) and whale map, part of a national system to provide mariners with up-to-date information on right whale occurrence. Photographic information gathered during sightings will be made available to and used collaboratively by scientists and management agencies through the north atlantic right whale consortium (narwc) to track population trends and monitor the outcome of management decisions, while contributing information on entanglement and vessel-strikes. Entanglement sightings from CCS field teams and professional mariners will be reported in real time to a network of trained entanglement responders including the response team at CCS. Entanglement response provides measurable conservation benefit to the remaining north atlantic right whale population, while gathering valuable data on the causes and circumstances of entanglement events obtainable in no other way.