US-ENVIRONMENT-CONSERVATION-RIGHT-WHALES

A right whale mother swims next to her calf, as seen from the research vessel "Shearwater" during a Right Whale research expedition with the Center for Coastal Studies (NOAA permit 25740-01) in Cape Cod Bay, off the coast of Massachusetts, on April 5, 2022. Scientists are studying the endangered whale population that is at risk for rope entanglements. After four hours at sea and some false hopes, the Shearwater makes its first sighting: Three North Atlantic right whales, including an elusive mother-calf pair, on a bright spring day in Cape Cod Bay. The captain cuts the engines and a trio of marine biologists swing into action, reeling off photos and noting markings that can be used to identify individuals and track injuries -- vital conservation work for a critically endangered-species that today numbers just 336 individuals. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP) / MANDATORY CREDIT - Center for Coastal Studies' NOAA permit 25740-01 (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)