Rare Whales Spotted Off Mass. Coast

BOSTON -- Boaters are being warned to be on the lookout for rare right whales after several were spotted off the Massachusetts coast.

The NOAA warning comes after right whales were spotted off Jeffries Point near Cape Ann.  Boaters who see a right whale need to keep a wide berth -- 1,500 feet by federal law.

Last year, the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies estimated fewer than 500 right whales are left in the population.  Human-caused deaths, vessel strikes and entanglements in commercial fishing gear, add significantly to the death rate for right whales, according to the PCCS.

The animals can grow to upwards of 60 feet and weigh over 50 tons


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