Enormous blue whales spotted in "unusual occurrence" off Massachusetts coast

Blue whales, the largest animals on Earth, have been spotted not far off the coast of Massachusetts in what the New England Aquarium is calling an "unusual occurrence."

Researchers with the aquarium spotted two blue whales just 15 miles south of Martha's Vineyard on Saturday during an aerial survey. The day before, they saw a blue whale at Lydonia Canyon, 170 miles away to the southeast of Nantucket.

The aquarium team has never encountered a blue whale in the southern New England survey area before. The most recent sighting of the endangered species in the area had been off the coast of Maine in 2023. A blue whale was also spotted off Cape Cod, 13 miles east of Truro, by the Center for Coastal Studies in 2020.

Rare blue whale sightings

"Seeing blue whales outside of their Canadian feeding grounds is rare in the Atlantic," aquarium scientist Katherine McKenna, who was on both survey flights, said in a statement. "Finding them in two different areas of the ocean just 24 hours apart was a first for us." 

There are believed to be only about 400 to 600 blue whales in the western North Atlantic. They can grow to be about 90 feet long and weigh more than 100,000 pounds. 

Aquarium scientist Orla O'Brien said the whales have likely found perfect feeding conditions in southern New England waters.

"Blue whales can range over huge swaths of the ocean unseen by scientists, so each sighting gives us an important glimpse into their winter and spring movements," O'Brien said.  

Endangered species

During the survey over the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, the researchers spotted more than 300 animals, including three endangered fin whales, three endangered sperm whales, 50 pilot whales and hundreds of dolphins.

The sightings occurred in an area where the Trump Administration is rolling back Obama-era prohibitions on commercial fishing. According to the White House, removing the restrictions "supports New England's fishing communities, in turn fostering economic growth and job creation in coastal regions." 

The New England Aquarium says getting rid of the protections puts endangered whales and other species at risk.