Throughout the New England Coastal waters there are a multitude of sea mammals; Humpback Whales, Right Whales, Grey Seals, and Harbor Seals. Fun for all ages, sharing time on the water with these creatures is one of the most popular activities among the Summer members of Barton & Gray Mariners Club.
On the north side of Cape Cod Bay, in Stellwagen Bay, hundreds of Humpback Whales congregrate to feed and entertain those lucky enough to be there. Its most inventive feeding technique is called bubble net fishing. A group of whales will blow bubbles while swimming to create a visual barrier against fish, while one or more whales in the group make vocalizations that drive the fish against the wall. The bubble wall is then closed, encircling the fish, which are confined in an ever-tighter area. The whales then suddenly swim upwards and through the bubble net, mouths agape, swallowing thousands of fish in one gulp. This technique can involve a ring of bubbles up to 30 m (100 ft) in diameter and the cooperation of a dozen animals at once. It is perhaps the most spectacular act of cooperation among marine mammals.
Right whales are baleen whales belonging to the family Balaenidae. Three right whale species are recognized in the genus Eubalaena, while the Bowhead Whale—also a right whale—is placed in its own genus, Balaena. Right whales can grow up to 18 m (60 feet) long and weigh up to 100 tonnes. Their rotund bodies are mostly black, with distinctive white callosities (skin abrasions) on their heads. They are called "right whales" because whalers thought the whales were the "right" ones to hunt, as they float when killed and often swim within sight of the shore. Populations were vastly reduced by intensive harvesting during the active years of the whaling industry. Today, instead of hunting them, people often watch these acrobatic whales for pleasure.
The four right whale species live in distinct locations: around 300 Atlantic Northern Right Whales live in the North Atlantic; approximately 200 Pacific Northern Right Whales live in the North Pacific; about 7,500 Southern Right Whales are spread throughout the southern part of the Southern Hemisphere; and 8,000–9,200 Bowhead Whales are distributed entirely in the Arctic Ocean.
Along the sandbars and beaches of Monomoy, Tuckernuck and Muskeget are hundreds, if not thousands of Grey and Harbor Seals. Easily approached in the shallow draft Hinckley Jet-Boats, members are able to get close enough to hear, and smell the seals in their summer homes. In the United States grey seal numbers are increasing as well; they have been protected under the Marine Mammals Protection Act for several years and it is still illegal to harm one. Before the act there were only a few isolated colonies in Maine and nowhere else. Today they are seen increasingly near New York and New Jersey waters and it is very likely they will establish colonies further and further south provided the main Canadian pupping grounds are not molested. It is also not very likely a seal hunt shall be instituted any time soon in the U.S.
Barton & Gray Mariners Club members are able to enjoy these species from their boats throught the entire season, as these species migrate and nest throughout our locations.
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