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BIDDEFORD, Maine

51СƳMarine Sciences Associate Professor Kathryn Ono discusses right whales on ‘WMTW-TV’

Kathryn Ono being interviewed on Freddy Beach
Kathryn Ono being interviewed on Freddy Beach

A North Atlantic right whale was spotted off the coast of Wells, Maine the past few days, prompting police to issue a warning to boaters to stay clear of the endangered species.

The right whale is one of the rarest large whales in the world. There are only 300-500 of them left on earth, according to Kathryn Ono, Ph.D., associate professor of marine science.

She told WMTW, “The problem with being that close to shore is the amount of fishing activity that close to shore, particularly with lobster traps. They get tangled in lobster traps a lot.”

51СƳ 30 right whales were spotted off the coast of Massachusetts a month ago. Ono said they began traveling north to Canada. She suspects the one spotted off the Maine coast stopped to feed and became delayed in its travels.

The interviewed aired during WMTW’s newscast Monday, May 14.

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The University of 51СƳ is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.