Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe PROVINCETOWN, Mass., April 22 (UPI) -- Whale experts in Massachusetts said a record number of North Atlantic right whales are congregating near the beaches of Provincetown and Truro. Charles "Stormy" Mayo, senior scientist at the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown, said researchers believe more than 200 right whales -- nearly half of the known population of the critically endangered species -- have gathered between a few yards from the shore and about a half mile out into the water, The Boston Globe reported Thursday. Advertisement Mayo said the whales are drawn to the area by zooplankton, a food course for the aquatic mammals, and the zooplankton is especially prevalent this year, which may explain the large number of whales. The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries issued a warning to boaters telling them it is illegal to bring their vessels within 500 feet of the animals.
