Humpback Whale Facts | New England by the Numbers

7

Months in New England’s whale watching season (April–October)

1

The humpback’s rank among New England whale sightings (followed by fin and minke)

6

Estimated number of humpbacks seen in Boston’s inner harbor last August

25

Miles from downtown Boston to Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, one of the world’s best whale watching sites

14

Number of recorded calves delivered by a humpback named Salt, the “grand dame” of Stellwagen Bank

1.5

Weight, in tons, of a typical newborn humpback calf

1970

Album release of Songs of the Humpback Whale, produced by Vermont scientist Roger Payne

>10 million

Copies of a Songs album that were made and packaged with the January 1979 issue of National Geographic (the largest one-time pressing of any record)

$50

Cost to “adopt” a humpback in the Gulf of Maine for a year (adopt-us​.whales.org)

2016

Year that most humpback whales were removed from the endangered species list

1986

Year that humpback whales “saved” humans from extinction (in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home)