SNOWE, COLLINS ANNOUNCE $158,894 FOR TRACKING OF RIGHT WHALES OFF MAINE’S COASTS

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senators Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Susan Collins (R-ME) today announced $158,894 in federal funding to the University of Maine for a tracking system for right whales off of Maine's coasts. The federal grant is award by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under the U.S. Department of Commerce.

"The University of Maine is again tasked with developing cutting-edge technology that will assists scientists, policymakers and the public in understanding the world we live in," Snowe and Collins said in a joint statement.

The University of Maine will develop a towed telemetry tag for tracking the long term movement of right whales at sea. The new, non-invasive system will use satellite telemetry to monitor the whales in U.S. and international waters.