Cape Cod Canal to reopen after whales forced overnight closure – Boston News, Weather, Sports

BOURNE, MASS. (WHDH) – The Cape Cod Channel reopened Monday after three endangered whales were sighted in the area on Sunday.

The channel was closed from Sunday to Monday to protect the animals.

While the canal was closed to boats, it drew groups of onlookers to the shore hoping to catch a glimpse of the whales.

“Hearing that these guys were here is actually pretty fascinating,” said one of those viewers, Luis Agosto.

Agosto said he came to the canal to photograph the whales. Agosto added that he was impressed that officials were taking action to protect the whales.

dr Michael Moore of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution said the chance to see the whales from shore is “an experience of a lifetime”.

The Army Corps of Engineers and the US Coast Guard closed the 17-mile canal to all shipping after sighting the right whales slowly moving west toward Buzzards Bay.

The North Atlantic right whale is one of the most endangered large whale species in the world, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The agency’s latest estimate suggests there are fewer than 350 individual right whales.

Moore said the whales face two major risks to their health and survival, including becoming entangled in ropes and colliding with ships.

“It’s a very significant risk when the whales meet ships in the Channel that are going at 10 miles per hour,” Moore said.

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