"Feds Protect More Habitat For Right Whales. But Is It Enough?"

"The NOAA designated an additional 39,414 square miles of water as critical habitat for the North Atlantic right whale. But could more be done?"

"The endangered North Atlantic right whale will get a larger government-protected habitat the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced Tuesday.

The NOAA Marine Fisheries Service designated an additional 39,414 square miles of ocean as critical habitat for the endangered right whale, about the size of the state of Kentucky.

“With fewer than 500 individuals left in the wild, every whale is vital to the species’ survival and recovery,” Defenders of Wildlife senior staff attorney Jane Davenport said in a press release. “This critical habitat expansion is an investment in the future of this unique whale.” "

Story Hinckley reports for the Christian Science Monitor January 27, 2016.