MARBLEHEAD — The dense fog rolling in Friday didn’t stop Lilybelle, 5, and Ainsley Fuller, 4, from trying to see a right whale at Devereux Beach.
Clad in whale-themed dresses and sun hats and carrying whale-shaped purses carrying stuffed whales inside them, the girls asked why there were so few right whales in existence and why they were in Marblehead.
Luckily, representatives from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) were there to answer them.
“They just love whales,” said their mother, Heather. “Their whole bedroom is (decorated with) whales. We were here a few days ago on that nice 92 degree afternoon and we just hung out on the beach for two or three hours. It was incredible.”
Right whales were first spotted off Marblehead Neck last Saturday, said Jason Berthiaume, an enforcement officer with NOAA fisheries. By Monday, they were just a few hundred yards from the rocky shore at the end of the causeway and drew large crowds hoping to get a glimpse. The whales have moved on and have been tracked off the coast of Gloucester, he said.
“It’s not rare for them to be in these waters but it is rare for them to be so close to shore,” he said. “I’ve talked to hundreds of residents who have said they have never been in Marblehead before.”
There are about 150 right whales off the Massachusetts coast, and several of the 50-foot mammals were spotted near Deveraux beach. But the species is endangered with only about 450 left in the world, said Berthiaume.
Elisa Torstensson and her son Owen spent hours scoping them out.
“I think the coolest thing for me was the blowholes,” said Elisa. “All the sudden you just saw them spraying up water.
“We’ve been whale watching in Boston with the whole family and spent the whole day looking for whales,” she said. “We didn’t see anything that day but now we’re seeing them right here in Marblehead.”
Owen said he wished he had brought binoculars while climbing the rocks to get a better view.
But not everyone was respectful of the boundaries.
Marblehead Police log entries show reports of kayakers paddling within feet of the animals and a quick search online shows drone images taken from just above them.
Berthiaume said others were snorkeling and driving boats too close to the animals. Federal rules say people keep a 500 yard distance between themselves and right whales. Drones and other devices should not be used near them.
Violating the regulation can result in a fee of $500 to $1,000, and harassing the animals can cost violators an additional $750.
“I get it, it’s exciting,” said Katie Swail, a NOAA spokeswoman. “They’ve never been here and you haven’t seen them before. But we need you give them that distance.”
