Section 7 Species Presence Table: Atlantic Large Whales in the Greater Atlantic Region

Foraging - Cape Cod Bay (January-April), Massachusetts Bay (January-April), Great South Channel (April-June), the western Gulf of Maine (April-May and July-October), the northern edge of Georges Bank (May-July), Jordan Basin (August-October), and Wilkinson Basin (April-July)

Wintering - Increasing evidence of wintering areas (approximately November-January) in Cape Cod Bay, Jeffreys and Cashes Ledge, Jordan Basin, and Massachusetts Bay (e.g., Stellwagen Bank)

Foraging - Greatest densities from March-August; lower densities from September-November; important foraging grounds include Massachusetts Bay (especially Stellwagen Bank), Great South Channel, waters off Cape Cod (~40-50 meter contour), the western Gulf of Maine (especially Jeffreys Ledge), and the eastern perimeter of Georges Bank

Wintering - Evidence of wintering areas in Stellwagen Bank and eastern perimeter of Georges Bank

Foraging - Year round in the mid-shelf area off the east end of Long Island

Migration - Migratory pathway to/from northern (high latitude) foraging and southern (low latitude) calving grounds

Wintering - Evidence of wintering areas in mid-shelf areas east of New Jersey

Calving - Possible offshore calving area (October-January)

Foraging - Spring through summer, found in greatest densities in offshore waters of the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank (eastern margin into the Northeast Channel area; along the southwestern edge in the area of Hydrographer Canyon); prefer continental shelf edge/slope waters (i.e., >200 meters), although incursions into continental shelf waters do occur seasonally or sporadically during periods of high prey abundance; generally feed on copepods and can often be found in areas where right whales are also found foraging, typically a bit further offshore than Cape Cod Bay

Migration - The population is believed to migrate from south of Cape Cod and along the coast of eastern Canada in June-July, and return on a southward
migration again in September-October

Foraging - In winter, concentrated east and northeast of Cape Hatteras; in spring, the center of distribution shifts northward to east of Delaware and Virginia, and is widespread throughout the central portion of the mid- Atlantic Bight and the southern portion of Georges Bank; in summer, the distribution is similar but also includes the area east and north of Georges Bank and into the Northeast Channel region as well as the continental shelf (inshore of the 100 meter isobath) south of New England; in fall, occurrence south of New England on the continental shelf is at its highest level, and there remains a continental  shelf edge occurrence in the Mid-Atlantic Bight

Migration - In some mid-latitudes, there seems to be a general trend to migrate north and south depending on the seasons (they move poleward in the summer); in temperate areas, there appears to be no obvious seasonal migration

Foraging - Off the U.S. Northeast and Mid-Atlantic coasts, they are most common during the summer and fall feeding seasons and typically leave by early winter; although they are rare in continental shelf waters, blue whales are occasionally seen off Cape Cod; best considered an occasional visitor in U.S.
Atlantic waters, which may represent the southern limit of its feeding range

Migration - Migrate seasonally between summer and winter, but some evidence suggests that individuals remain in certain areas year round; information
about movements varies with location, and migratory routes are not well known