North Atlantic Right Whale

North Atlantic right whales are suffering more than previously known from entanglements in rope and fishing gear, a new study found.

The New England Aquarium and Cornell University are partnering with LAUTEC US, a consulting firm for renewable energy projects, to build a marine spatial planning website that will model right whale habitat, evaluate risks to right whales associated with wind development, and assess the financial and operational risks for developers looking to build in areas where right whales roam.

By comparing the lengths of 41 females North Atlantic right whales with their reproductive histories, scientists found that smaller females are now having fewer calves because of their lower fat stores and energy reserves.

The state found the proposal put North Atlantic right whales at unnecessary risk and lacked a comprehensive research design that would answer important safety questions about the gear.

As the installation of turbines for America’s first large offshore wind farm grows nearer, the environmental group Oceana is warning that construction rules designed to protect endangered wildlife could be difficult to enforce.

In an effort to protect critically endangered right whales, federal officials have announced an “emergency” closure of an additional area of lobster fishing grounds in federal waters off the South Shore of Massachusetts.

Around 95 percent of the sea turtles studied were entangled in actively fished, commercial pot/trap gear that was set to catch lobster, whelk, and other fish — rather than ghost gear or debris. All entanglements involved the turtles’ necks and/or front flippers.

The sharp reaction came in response to a draft report released by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program that proposed adding the U.S. lobster fishery to its influential “Red List,” as a result of the fishery’s impacts on critically endangered right whales.

The conflict within the lobster fishing community is the latest front in an ongoing battle over what accommodations fishermen can and should make to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales.

At a virtual public hearing on Wednesday at 6 pm, the state will seek feedback from lobstermen, scallopers, clam dredgers, and others who may be affected by the authorization.