A right whale found dead Monday on the shore of Cow Bay, near Martha’s Vineyard, is being investigated by national fisheries officials.
The female whale is believed to be a juvenile, according to a report by Martha’s Vineyard Times. A necropsy is planned to determine cause of death once conditions allow officials to access the body.
However, a preliminary report appears to show entangled rope near the whale’s tail.
North Atlantic right whales are an endangered species with only approximately 350 individuals existing in the wild, according to NOAA Fisheries estimates. There are estimated to be around 70 females who can breed.
In Maine, regulations aimed at protecting right whales have come under fire from commercial lobster fishers, who had been asked to use specific gear and adhere to certain zoning regulations to protect the whale. The lobstermen argue that the regulations put undue stress on their industry, when many fishermen claim not to have seen right whales in Maine waters.
Some officials say that whale entanglements can stress female whales enough to prevent them from having calves for years, leading to a further decline in the species.
The North Atlantic right whale population appeared to be stabilizing as of last fall, with fisheries officials saying they believed the number of right whales being born matched the rate of those dying.
