A right whale sighting provided hope over the weekend as a mother whale and her calf were seen feeding in the Cape Cod Canal.
The right whale is one of the most endangered whale species in the world.
This weekend’s sighting, scientists said, is a positive sign for the species’ future as whales reproduce.
“Even if we stop killing the whales, if we don’t give them enough of an opportunity to bulk up and get pregnant and half calves and do what that animal was doing — No amount of effort will make a difference if we can’t also get them healthy enough to make more calves,” Dr. Michael Moore of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution said. “So, it’s really good to see a calf there.”
Officials temporarily closed the Cape Cod Canal on Sunday to make way for the whales as they moved through the area.
The sighting, in turn, followed other right whale sightings in recent weeks and months as officials and scientists keep close watch on local whale populations.
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution plans to continue monitoring the whales as more migrate north in the coming months.
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