OBSERVATIONS OF RIGHT WHALES, EUBALAENA GLACIALIS, 



IN CAPE COD WATERS 1 



William A. Watkins and William E. Schevill 2 



ABSTRACT 



Sightings of right whales, Eubalaena glacialis, in waters within 30 km of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 

 are reported for 1955-80. Aerial and shipboard observations indicate the occurrence of right whales 

 in this area during most of the year. Sightings peaked during April and May. There were 641 sight- 

 ings of individual right whales with 117 seen more than 1 day during ayear (758 total sightings). Up 

 to 165 whales were seen each year with a maximum 1-day sighting of more than 70 right whales. 

 Behaviors and activities of these inshore whales are described. During the peak period these whales 

 were often found feeding within 5 m of the surface. In other seasons the whales spent less time near 

 the surface and were less visible. These observations do not represent a census because emphasis 

 was placed on the study of the whales found and not on searching to find all the whales in the area. 



Observations of northern right whales, Eubal- 

 aena glacialis Borowski 1781, made in nearshore 

 waters of Cape Cod over a span of 25 yr are re- 

 ported here, along with characteristic activities, 

 groupings, and differences in visibility of these 

 whales. These sightings (listed in Table 1 and in 

 Schevill et al. 1981) indicated the occurrence of 

 right whales in this area during most of the year 

 and allowed repeated observations of their be- 

 havior. Although these sightings were not 

 systematic enough to provide a census of the 

 nearshore whales, they do indicate general pat- 

 terns that complement more recent efforts to 

 assess the right whale populations and distribu- 

 tions. 



Right whales were found in large numbers in 

 the Cape Cod area until about 1730 (Allen 1916), 

 but this stock was systematically reduced by 

 shore whaling that took all that could be caught, 

 including cows and calves. Although heavy har- 

 vesting greatly reduced the population, right 

 whales probably have never been totally absent 

 from our waters, even though there seem to have 

 been no published sightings between 1913 and 

 1955. A review of the historic data was given by 

 Reeves et al. (1978) along with some recent obser- 

 vations. 



Since 1955 we have recorded observations of 

 these whales as encountered in Cape Cod waters. 



'Contribution No. 4642, Woods Hole Oceanographic Insti- 

 tution. Woods Hole, MA 02543. 



2 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 

 02543. 



Attempts were made to assess their local occur- 

 rence, study their behavior, analyze their acous- 

 tic activity, and recognize individuals. We have 

 described typical sounds (Schevill et al. 1962; 

 Schevill and Watkins 1962), underwater activity 

 extrapolated from recorded sounds (Watkins 

 and Schevill 1971, 1972), feeding behavior (Wat- 

 kins and Schevill 1976), and comparison of sur- 

 face feeding activity with that of three other 

 baleen whale species (Watkins and Schevill 

 1979). 



METHODS 



Right whales were observed in Cape Cod 

 waters (Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts Bay, Nan- 

 tucket and Vineyard Sounds, Nantucket Shoals, 

 and adjacent waters within about 30 km of the 

 coast, roughly bounded by lat. 41°-43°N and 

 long. 69°-72°W) both from the air and from the 

 water, and occasionally at the same time. The 

 whales were usually within 15 km of the beach, 

 but sometimes were found 30 km or more from 

 shore. Aerial observation allowed assessment of 

 distinctive markings, size (by comparison with 

 the shadow of the fuselage), and activity (feed- 

 ing, social interaction, etc.). Surface observa- 

 tions from boats drifting quietly alongside the 

 animals permitted photography, underwater 

 sound recording, and behavioral observation. 

 Sometimes contact could be maintained with the 

 same individuals for up to 6 h. Most observations 

 were in daylight, but some nighttime studies 

 were made. In both aerial and shipboard work, 



Manuscript accepted May 1982. 



FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 80. NO. 4. 1982. 



875 



