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Pilot Whales 



There are two species of pilot whales in the 

 western North Atlantic Ocean: Globi- 

 cephala melas ranges from Iceland to 

 North Carolina, and G. macrorhynchus 

 ranges from Virginia to Venezuela. Pilot 

 whales concentrate along the continental 

 shelf edge of the Mid-Atlantic and southern 



New England during midwinter and early 

 spring, then move onto the shelf in late 

 spring where they are widely distributed 

 until autumn. Stock structure and abun- 

 dance are unknown. Aerial surveys off the 

 U.S. northeast coast in 1979-81 resulted in 

 a rough estimate of 1 1 ,200 pilot whales. 



Fin Whale 



Fin whales, listed as endangered under the 

 ESA, range widely and are probably the 

 most numerous large cetacean in temper- 

 ate waters of the western North Atlantic 

 Ocean. They range throughout the conti- 

 nental shelf in all seasons, but most sight- 



ings are from off Cape Cod to the south- 

 west Gulf of Maine. Stock structure and 

 total abundance are unknown. An estimate 

 of abundance off the northeast coast in 

 1979-81 was 4,740 whales. 



Humpback whale 



Also listed as endangered, the humpback 

 whale has four or five stocks which sum- 

 mer in the Gulf of Maine, Gulf of St. Law- 

 rence, and the waters of Newfound- 

 land-Labrador, west Greenland, and possi- 

 bly Iceland. Along the northeast coast, 

 humpbacks frequent the Great South 

 Channel, Georges Bank, Stellwagen Bank, 



and Jeffery's Ledge. The estimated total 

 population is about 5,505 whales. A mini- 

 mum estimate of the population prior to 

 commercial whaling (about 1865) was 

 4,400-4,700 humpbacks. The Gulf of 

 Maine hosted about 240 humpbacks in 

 summer 1986, the only group that sum- 

 mers exclusively in U.S. waters. 



Right Whale 



Endangered right whales also frequent the 

 continental shelf from Florida to Nova Sco- 

 tia from spring to autumn. Winter distribu- 

 tion is not well known but may be offshore. 

 The population is estimated at no more 



than 350 animals and may be declining. 

 The pre-18th century population may have 

 been as high as 10,000 and, if so, the 

 current population is more than 95% de- 

 pleted. 



Harbor Porpoise 



The harbor porpoise ranges from Maine to Maine, and by late autumn some animals 



North Carolina— occasionally to Florida— 

 and may constitute a single population. 

 Summer and early autumn distribution is 

 in the Bay of Fundy and northern Gulf of 



move southwest to winter in southern New 

 England and Mid-Atlantic waters. Spring 

 abundance estimates for a portion of the 

 range was 3,541. 



Harbor seal 



Harbor seals are year-round residents of 

 Maine, and some of them winter in south- 

 ern New England. Under MMPA protection, 



harbor seals have more than doubled, and 

 a 1981 count found 10,500 in Maine. 



