Updated on July 27
Another north Atlantic right whale has been found dead in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
The CBC reports that the whale — now the eighth found dead in the gulf since June 6 — was spotted by a plane with the U.S. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. The plane also found an entangled right whale in the area.
The Marine Animal Response Society said Wednesday on Facebook that it is working with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative to conduct a necropsy of the eighth whale as soon as possible.
Preliminary results from necropsies performed on three of the whales found dead in the gulf earlier this summer showed evidence that two suffered from blunt trauma, such as a ship strike, and one had become entangled in fishing gear.
In the wake of what marine biologists are calling an “unprecedented die-off” of the endangered species, Jerry Conway, an adviser with the Campobello Whale Rescue Team, told the CBC he wants a complete review of shipping lanes in the gulf where the deceased whales are turning up.
“The number of deaths haven’t been seen like this since the days of whaling,” Conway said.
After the seventh right whale was discovered dead on July 5, Dr. Pierre-Yves Daoust of the Atlantic Veterinary College in Charlottetown issued a similar call for action, telling CBC Information Morning Fredericton he wants the Canadian Coast Guard and the shipping and fishing industries to meet around the table and talk about ways to prevent collisions with whales from happening in the gulf, noting one option is making ships slow down in the gulf.
—Update: July 27—
The Daily Gleaner reports another north Atlantic right whale was found dead on the shore of Newfoundland on Wednesday, July 26. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) says it is trying to reach the whale as soon as possible to conduct a necropsy.
It is still unclear whether the carcass is one of the previously spotted dead whales, or if it is a ninth dead right whale found this summer in Canadian waters.
Necropsies have been performed on six of the whales, however, the complete results of these procedures won’t be known for several weeks.
The north Atlantic right whale is a critically endangered species, with only about 525 estimated alive. The deaths this summer account for more than one per cent of the total population.
