Massachusetts is receiving more than $4.6 million in federal funds to support an array of conservation efforts for the endangered North Atlantic right whale, state officials said.
In a recent statement, the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs said the money, coupled with a separate $475,000 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, will help “bolster development” of fishing gear technology that can reduce entanglements, a leading cause of death for large whales.
The funds will also support the state’s Division of Marine Fisheries’ “ongoing research and monitoring” of right whale migratory patterns and the distribution of fishing gear to lobstermen that can mitigate harm to right whales.
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“We have a special responsibility to help these endangered animals, and to promote innovative measures to support whale recovery and Massachusetts’ important lobster industry,” state Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper said in the statement.
“Massachusetts near-shore waters annually host up to 80 percent of the total population of North Atlantic right whales in late winter and early spring, as the whales migrate north and feed in the nutrient-rich waters of Cape Cod Bay and Massachusetts Bay,” Tepper said. “These funds are particularly beneficial to the small boat fishers who contribute so much to our economy, food security, and heritage of Massachusetts coastal communities.”
North Atlantic right whales remain one of the most endangered large whale species in the world, with a population of 350, including just 70 reproductive females, the New England Aquarium said in November. Last month the aquarium put the total figure at 356.
More than 85 percent of right whales have found themselves entangled in fishing gear at least once, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“Fishing gear can cut into a whale’s body, cause serious injuries, and result in infections and mortality,” according to NOAA’s website. “Even if gear is shed or removed through disentanglement efforts, the time spent entangled can severely stress a whale, weaken it, prevent it from feeding, and sap the energy it needs to swim, feed, and reproduce.”
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Scientists believe such chronic entanglements could be one factor in female right whales taking longer to breed and having fewer calves, according to NOAA.
State officials said they plan to dedicate $2.8 million of the federal funds to right whale research and monitoring, $1.1 million for gear research, and $472,000 to help commercial lobstermen reduce entanglement risks. The marine fisheries division, which currently has one staff member devoted to right whale conservation, will expand to have seven employees working on a “broadscale research, monitoring, and outreach program.”
The program will focus on fishing gear issues and allow the state to expand its right whale aerial surveillance program to gain a better sense of where whales are concentrated.
The state will also use the funds to distribute “weak rope” that doesn’t trap the whales and initiate a grant program that will allow fishermen to buy equipment that uses far less rope than traditional designs, according to the NOAA website.
Tom O’Shea, commissioner of the state’s fish and game department, said officials are “very grateful to Massachusetts lobster fishers who have sacrificed and worked with us in implementing a closed season, the use of modified rope, and other important measures to protect right whales.”
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State Senator Bruce E. Tarr, a Gloucester Republican, said the state “has a unique and important role to play in the stewardship of the right whale, and we have been working to meet that responsibility on many fronts.”
Material from prior Globe stories was used in this report.
Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com.