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Chapter 10 - CetaceansMinke WhaleFollowing patterns similar to fin and humpback whales,minke whales migrated to the productive areas of the Gulfof Maine and were sighted there in the spring and summermonths (Figure 10-4b and 10-4c). In studies in thenorthern Atlantic, they have been found to be positivelycorrelated with gravel/sand seabed types as well as the distributionof sand eel and herring populations in the summerin New England waters (Naud et al. 2003; Macleodet al. 2004). There were limited sightings in the fall andwinter (Figure 10-4a and 10-4d).Important Marine Areas for Minke WhaleGulf of Maine (Cape Cod Bay, Jeffreys Ledge,Stellwagen Bank, and Great South Channel)North Atlantic Right WhaleNorth Atlantic right whales are known to migrate seasonallyand spend time in the Northwest Atlantic region inspring through early summer. They are found on feedinggrounds off the northeastern United States and easternCanada. In the spring, feeding aggregations of rightwhales have been found in the Gulf of Maine especiallyin Cape Cod Bay and along the Great South Channelinto deeper basins in the north (Kenney and Winn 1986,Mitchell et al. 1986, Kenney et al. 1995). The Bay ofFundy is a well known feeding site for right whales duringthe summer and early fall and aggregations of whales havebeen seen there every year (Figure 10-5a, 10-5b, 10-5c, 10-5d). Standardized visual survey effort in the StellwagenBank National Marine Sanctuary (SBNMS) (Wiley etal. 2003) and increasing passive acoustic monitoring effortsover the winter months on Jeffreys Ledge and in theStellwagen Bank Marine Sanctuary (Mussoline et al. inreview) have detected the presence of right whales in thenortheastern portion of the sanctuary and on JeffreysLedge beginning in late December through March. Thesedata indicated that some fraction of the right whale populationoverwinters in this region.Important Marine Areas for North AtlanticRight WhaleGulf of Maine (Cape Cod Bay, Jeffreys Ledge,Stellwagen Bank and Great South Channel), Bayof FundySei WhaleIn the Northwest Atlantic, sei whales were sighted predominantlyin the deep waters off the Continental Shelfedge in areas like the eastern edge of Georges Bank, theNortheast Channel and Hydrographer Canyon (CeTAP1982; Hain et al. 1985; NOAA 2008c); however, theyhave been known to sporadically move into shallower,inshore waters like Stellwagen Bank and Great SouthChannel as they switch prey species. Assessment data indicatedthe same general pattern (Figure 10-6a, 10-6b,10-6c, 10-6d). Whales were reported in more inshorelocations, such as the Great South Channel in 1987 and1989 and Stellwagen Bank in 1986 (Payne et al. 1990). Inthe past five years, sei whales have been sighted more frequentlyinshore than in previous years and this has beenlinked to prey availability (Waring et al. 2008).Important Marine Areas for Sei WhaleGulf of Maine (Georges Bank, Northeast Channel,Canyons); Inshore (Cape Cod Bay, Jeffreys Ledge,Stellwagen Bank, Great South Channel)10-Northwest Atlantic Marine Ecoregional Assessment • Phase 1 Report