Massachusetts conservationists joined experts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to warn boaters to steer clear of whales feeding off the coast of Plymouth, Massachusetts. Bob Glenn, chief biologist with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, said three young humpback whales feed off the coast of Plymouth on Atlantic menhaden, known as pogies. “These schools also attract striped bass and dozens of recreational and commercial fishermen in vessels to target them. This poses a safety risk to both whales and humans,” Glenn said. age, can weigh between 40,000 and 60,000 pounds, and a collision or interaction with these large whales could cause serious damage to the ship, injury to the whales, or even serious injury or death to people who happen to be hit by one.” Sailors who observe surface-feeding whales should do so from a safe distance of at least 30 feet, officials said. “A lot of people just get excited when they see the whales. They want to get a message on Instagram, if you want, or any other kind of social media for that matter, and that’s all well and good, but we have to do it safely – for their safety and for the whales, of course. As we mentioned before, these are 40-ton animals, and a small fiberglass boat is never a good combination,” said Troy Audyatis, of NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement. Officials encouraged anyone who sees a skipper getting too close to a whale to Report the incident via the NOAA Enforcement Hotline at 800-853-1964. On Sunday, a whale hit a fishing boat off Plymouth in an area where whales have been spotted several times in recent weeks. Video shows the people on the boat braced as the boat tipped back and forth. “We are all lucky, very lucky,” one person on the boat wrote online. “No injuries, minor damage to the boat and we made it back to the marina under our own power The skipper said they were fishing for striped bass in Cape Cod Bay with a large group. “We saw and heard screams of excitement from nearby boaters watching a whale or whales. popping up in the area.” The skipper said the people on board were making sandwiches as they captured the epic encounter. “No one expected what happened next,” the skipper wrote. “We all felt sorry for the whale, the wrong place at the wrong time for all of us,” the skipper wrote. “We were all knocked over, but lived another day.” Videos and photos of the whale as it breached were also captured by several fishing boats that were nearby. Plymouth officials posted a photo of the boat showing the damage. The harbor master’s boat assigned to the area to look into possible marine mammal violations responded to check on the ship’s occupants. The operator reported no injuries and no major damage affecting the boat’s seaworthiness, officials said. “The Plymouth Harbor Master’s Department recommends a distance of at least 100 meters to minimize potential interactions with whales. This interaction, while rare, is a reminder that these interactions can be dangerous for both boaters and whales,” officials posted. from Plymouth on Facebook. The environmental police is investigating the incident. Whales feeding and breaching in the area have brought residents and tourists to the area in hopes of catching a glimpse of the marine life. Most of the whales observed are humpback whales, which can measure up to 55 feet and weigh 40 tons, according to the Whale & Dolphin Conservation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to whale conservation. Photos from other sightings show the whales “falling out,” the group said, which is when the whales round up baitfish and dive through them to swallow a mouthful of fish and water. Wildlife photographer Suzanne O’Shea said she had heard about recent whale sightings. She said she grabbed her camera and headed to the shore on Tuesday evening and again at daybreak on Wednesday morning. She was there when a whale put on a show for a group of people aboard a small boat. I hope you get that photo,” O’Shea said. “I didn’t check right away, because then you don’t know if they’re going to break through again. So I checked a little later. And I thought, ‘Oh my god, I’ve got the picture!'” A week ago, a paddleboarder had a close encounter with a whale at Manomet. “The thing comes out of the water, the thing is about 25 feet in the air, there flies fish out of his mouth,” said paddleboarder Michael Manfredi. “It’s just amazing, it’s unbelievable. It’s just one of those moments you’ll never forget.” The Whale & Dolphin Conservation said boaters should give whales a buffer zone off the coast and want people to enjoy it while they’re here, but it’s important they do it safely. The whales move sporadically while trying to catch fish, so boat operators in the area need to be proactive and make sure they are at least five boat lengths away,” said Monica Pepe, WDC’s Safe Boating Policy Manager.
Massachusetts conservationists joined experts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to warn boaters to steer clear of whales feeding off the coast of Plymouth, Massachusetts.
Bob Glenn, chief biologist with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, said three young humpback whales feed off the coast of Plymouth on Atlantic menhaden, known as pogies.
“These schools also attract striped bass and dozens of recreational and commercial fishermen in vessels to fish for them. This poses a safety risk to both whales and humans,” Glenn said. “These are very large animals that can weigh between 40,000 and 60,000 pounds depending on their age, and a collision or interaction with these large whales could cause serious damage to the vessel, injure the whales or even cause serious injury or death to the whales. people who happened to be hit by one.”
Sailors observing surface-feeding whales should do so from a safe distance of at least 30 feet, officials said.
“A lot of people just get excited when they see the whales. They want to get a message on Instagram, if you want, or any other kind of social media, and that’s all well and good, but we have to do that safely – for their safety and for the whales. As we mentioned before, these are 40-ton animals, and a small fiberglass boat is never a good combination,” said Troy Audyatis, of NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement.
Officials encouraged anyone who sees a skipper getting too close to a whale to report the incident via the NOAA Enforcement Hotline at 800-853-1964.
On Sunday, a whale hit a fishing boat off Plymouth in an area where whales have been spotted several times in recent weeks.
The video shows the people on the boat bracing themselves as the boat tilted back and forth.
“We are all lucky, very lucky,” one person on the boat wrote online. “No injuries, minor damage to the boat and we drove back to the marina under our own power.”
The skipper said they were fishing for striped bass in Cape Cod Bay with a large group. “We saw and heard the screams of excitement from nearby boaters seeing a whale or whales emerge in the area.”
The skipper said the people on board were making sandwiches when they captured the epic encounter.
“No one expected what happened next,” the skipper wrote.
“We all felt sorry for the whale, the wrong place at the wrong time for all of us,” the skipper wrote. “We were all knocked over, but lived another day.”
Videos and photos of the whale as it breached were also captured by several fishing boats that were nearby.
Plymouth officials posted a photo of the boat showing the damage.
A harbor master’s boat assigned to the area to look into possible marine mammal violations responded to check on the ship’s occupants. The operator reported no injuries and no major damage affecting the boat’s seaworthiness, officials said.
“The Plymouth Harbor Master’s Department recommends a distance of at least 100 meters to minimize potential interactions with whales. This interaction, while rare, is a reminder that these interactions can be dangerous for boaters and whales alike,” Plymouth officials wrote on Facebook.
Massachusetts Environmental Police are investigating the incident.
Whales feeding and breaching in the area have brought residents and tourists to the area in hopes of catching a glimpse of the marine life.
According to the Whale & Dolphin Conservation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to whale conservation, most of the whales observed were humpback whales, which can measure up to 55 feet and weigh 40 tons.
Photos from other sightings show the whales “falling out,” the group said, which is when the whales round up baitfish and dive through them to devour a mouthful of fish and water.
Wildlife photographer Suzanne O’Shea said she had heard about recent whale sightings. She said she grabbed her camera and headed to the shore on Tuesday evening and again at daybreak on Wednesday morning.
She was there when a whale put on a show for a group of people aboard a small boat.
“When it broke, you just click and hope you get that picture,” O’Shea said. “I didn’t check right away, because then you don’t know if they’re going to break through again. So I checked a little later. And I was like, ‘Oh my god, I’ve got the picture!'”
A week ago, a paddleboarder had a close encounter with a whale at Manomet.
“The thing comes out of the water. The thing is about 25 feet in the air. There’s fish flying out of its mouth,” said paddleboarder Michael Manfredi. “It’s just amazing, it’s incredible. It’s just one of those moments that you’ll never forget.”
The Whale & Dolphin Conservation said boaters should give whales a buffer zone.
“We love the enthusiasm local residents show for these whales off our coast and want people to enjoy them while they are here, but it’s important that they do it safely. The whales move sporadically while trying to catch fish, so boat operators in the area need to be proactive and make sure they are at least five boat lengths away,” said Monica Pepe, WDC’s Safe Boating Policy Manager.
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