Latest news with #DepartmentOfFisheriesAndOceans
CBC
7 days ago
- CBC
Ultra-rare right whale spotted off Newfoundland coast
There are about 370 North Atlantic right whales left in the world — and a Newfoundland man spotted one off the southern Avalon Peninsula earlier this month. Tour guide Jared Clarke was taking a group bird watching off St. Shott's when he noticed a whale surfacing out of the corner of his eye. Spotting a whale isn't unusual for Clarke, but then he noticed something odd. The whale's head was covered in callosities, "these big rough patches," Clarke told CBC Radio's The Broadcast. When he saw the creature's back, Clarke noticed it didn't have a dorsal fin and that's when it clicked. "I think the group thought I might have lost it. I sort of screamed, 'That's a right whale!,'" he said. "I was out of my skin excited." North Atlantic right whales are an endangered species, with only 366 left in the world, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Clarke, who runs Bird The Rock tours, was thrilled to share the right whale with his tour group. They saw it surface a few times, and at one point it "kind of waved" with its flipper. The man has heard of just a few sightings of the endangered mammal around Newfoundland, and has always dreamed of seeing one for himself. He ran for his camera and snapped a few photos, which he passed on to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. "I've been waiting for years to see a right whale in Newfoundland waters," said Clarke, who saw one before in the Bay of Fundy. He noted there was an indentation on the whale's head that he's been told looks like a rope scar, meaning the animal had been entangled in fishing gear at one point. Jack Lawson, a marine mammal researcher with DFO, said the sighting is "exciting and horrifying at the same time." Seeing these whales could require shutting down fishing, Lawson said — but only if three whales are spotted together, or its a mother and calf. Clarke urges everyone to look out for right whales. "They can show up anywhere," Clarke said. "If you're out there whale watching, keep an eye out for something that just looks a little different."
CBC
02-07-2025
- General
- CBC
Decision to refill Lake Pisiquid coming with side-effects, say some Windsor residents
Some Windsor, N.S., residents say a two-year-old decision to close the gates of an aboiteau and keep Lake Pisiquid filled with water is unnecessary and causing other problems. Prior to the closure, the open gates caused the lake to drain. This was done by way of a Department of Fisheries and Oceans order to restore the Avon River to a natural river state to allow fish to pass through. But in June 2023, the province declared a state of emergency and ordered the gates closed so that the water supply would be maximized in the event it was needed for firefighting. The order came at a time when there were large wildfires in the province. "The firefighting protection for Windsor, this is an illusion," said fisherman Darren Porter, who's part of scientific teams conducting work on the river. The judge called the province's reasoning "rational, logical and justified." When the lake was drained this past spring to allow for regular aboiteau maintenance, the Confederacy of Mainland Mi'kmaq extended a river boat ramp to allow scientists access to the water. "If I can put my boat in … to do the studies, fire trucks can back down [the ramp]," said Porter. "So the logical case for needing that dry hydrant is no longer logical, because we have this ramp right to the channel, and we have access to water at all times." A dry hydrant is a non-pressurized pipe that connects to a water source. In this case, the dry hydrant is connected to the lake. The Municipality of West Hants is planning for a future with or without that water. CAO Mark Phillips said the municipality is building a water storage tank and combining the former water utilities of Windsor and Falmouth to accommodate a growing population, as well as improve firefighting capabilities. "If the water is in the lake, obviously that gives us greater capacity," he said. "But if water is not in the lake, then we need to be in a position to make sure our community is safe and confident in our fire service." Phillips anticipates those projects will be completed this construction season. He said the community is patiently waiting for a final decision on aboiteau design. Some Windsor residents are not feeling so patient though. David Hunter owns an antique shop on the Windsor waterfront. He likes the lake, but also enjoyed watching the tides when Windsor fronted on a river. Ultimately, he doesn't much care what the outcome is, as long as there's a resolution. But he's concerned about the ongoing safety risk posed by unfinished work on Highway 101, which can't be completed until a new aboiteau design is approved — and he's losing faith in the process. "Either open the gate or get the damn thing closed off," said Hunter. "Fix that highway. I can't believe that they can't come up with an idea on this, whether it's a lake or a river." Amanda Dunfield said there's another safety concern stemming from the lake. She has lived in a low-lying part of Windsor since 2020. She estimates her home has flooded about 20 times since then — and she attributes that partly to water levels at Lake Pisiquid. When it rains heavily, stormwater and sewage back up in Windsor's overburdened sewer system, filling her home and yard with wastewater. Dunfield holds the Municipality of West Hants most responsible. Her parents, who own her house, have sued the municipality for negligence and nuisance, for allegedly failing to improperly design, install and maintain its stormwater system. "I've been told three quarters of my home [needs to] be completely gutted," said Dunfield. "Who's paying for that? I can't pay for it. I'm a single parent." The municipality did not respond to a request for comment about the lawsuit. Dunfield said the outflow point for Windsor's combined sewer system is in downtown Windsor. When that outflow point is submerged by high lake levels, it can't function properly, causing wastewater to back up into the town. Public meeting At a March public meeting on the stormwater system, employees for CBCL Engineering — which has been conducting a study of the stormwater system — described this problem. In response to a question about lake levels, a CBCL staffer said, "That's one of the biggest issues with that area now, is the potential for the water to be high and then it can't drain at all." CBCL did not reply to an interview request from CBC News. Dunfield said this is concerning, given that Windsor is not at as much year-round risk from wildfires as it is from combined sewer overflows. She said that if the province can replace the lake with two water tankers, as they did when the lake was drained in May, why is the lake water needed? Dunfield's lawyer, Richard Norman of Cox & Palmer, will be looking at the question of provincial responsibility in the lawsuit. "It's certainly open to the municipality to look to the province and say, 'You're part of the problem and you should be involved as well,'" he said. In a statement, a spokesperson for the Emergency Management Department said water tankers would not be sufficient in the event of another devastating wildfire season, and that "the current municipal system is inadequate for wildfires, larger or multiple fires." Access-to-information records Records obtained through an access-to-information request shed light on the timing of the province first imposing the state of emergency on June 1, 2023, which has been continuously renewed for two weeks ever since then. In a series of 2023 emails, Jamie Juteau, who was the Windsor fire chief, wrote to the area MLA saying firefighters could not draw water from the lake using a dry hydrant in downtown Windsor because of the lake's depth. His email did not specifically mention safety issues. Deputy housing minister Paul LaFleche then forwarded that email to the premier's chief of staff, saying, "Let's use it." The state of emergency was declared later that day, thus closing the aboiteau's gates and filling the lake with water.
CBC
28-06-2025
- General
- CBC
Die-off of hundreds of snails brings foul smell to Lake Micmac
When Patricia Mombourquette was getting ready for a swim in Lake Micmac last week, she was greeted by a foul stench and the unsightly presence of hundreds of dead snails that had floated to the surface. What initially looked like small black dots and a film on the lake was likely an invasive species known as the Chinese mystery snail, which is also called a trapdoor snail. "It's a putrid smell that's nauseating," said Mombourquette, who has only been living in her lakefront Dartmouth, N.S., property for a few months. The Nova Scotia Invasives Species Council says it has been receiving more reports lately of the Chinese mystery snail appearing in ponds and lakes. The snails most likely found their way into native ecosystems by being released into lakes and ponds by aquarium keepers trying to get rid of them. A single female can give birth to over a hundred baby snails, so the population grows quickly. Introducing aquatic species into ponds and lakes is illegal under the federal Aquatic Invasive Species Regulations. Mombourquette contacted the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to report the incident. In a statement to CBC News, DFO said mass mortality events are common for Chinese mystery snails in freshwater environments with large populations. "Mortality events can also be caused by environmental conditions, such as low oxygen levels, fluctuations in water temperatures, and other factors," it said. "DFO does not expect any long-term environmental impacts following this mortality event." It said the decomposition of snails is what's causing the stench. Mombourquette said she wasn't sure if this experience was a recurring thing, so she asked her neighbour, Louise Jessome. "I've never seen it before and ... I've been on that lake for 48 years," said Jessome. She waited to see if the smell and the snails would disappear on their own. But on Friday, Jessome took matters into her own hands. Armed with gloves, a garbage bag and her boat, she went to the dock to remove the snails. After 30 minutes, she had filled a third of the bag, but more snails were still floating on the lake. "It's just rotting fish, what it smells like," said Jessome.
CBC
29-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Entangled right whale seen in St. Lawrence River estuary, officials say
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans says it's aware of an entangled North Atlantic right whale on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River estuary. It says the whale was spotted in the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park on Tuesday from a vessel in the area. The department says officials are trying to find the whale and that they'll try to free it if weather and sea conditions allow. The public is being asked to avoid approaching any rescue effort. Officials say they don't yet know what type of gear the whale is caught in or where the gear came from. They added that they're looking into whether this is a new or a previously known entanglement. North Atlantic right whales are critically endangered, with fewer than 400 remaining in the wild.
