December 12, 2023 — With more than $17 million in hand, Maine has a new plan to search for the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale.
State officials hope to the use the newly gathered data to advocate for Maine’s fishing industry.
Specifically, state scientists will place 26 new passive acoustic monitors around the Gulf of Maine, in addition to the eight others that have been in the water for the last three years, to listen for right whales.
And soon an outside company hired by the Department of Marine Resources will fly small planes over the Gulf in attempt to spot them.
“Spring in particular, when whales are leaving Mass Bay and coming up along the coast,” said DMR Commissioner Patrick Keliher. “Certainly we would want to do some additional flying in the fall, around some areas around Jeffreys [Ledge] and the existing closed areas.”