Humpback whale health study could prompt new whale watching regulations in Juneau

A humpback whale calf breaches in Juneau’s North Pass. (Photo courtesy of Heidi Pearson, taken under NMFS ESA/MMPA Permit No. 27342)
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Pregnant and nursing humpback whales rely on the protected waters near Juneau to fatten up on herring and krill while raising their young. But calves were involved in nine of the 14 recorded incidents of whales getting entangled or hit by boats in the past fo