Latest news with #NorthAtlanticRightWhale
CBC
5 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
15-07-2025
- Science
- CBC
New docuseries episode assisted by N.B. right whale researchers
Researchers from the University of New Brunswick and Dalhousie University had a hand in a new Apple TV+ documentary series that delves into the world's most dangerous animals. The researchers helped filmmakers get a closeup look at the North Atlantic right whale.
CTV News
03-07-2025
- General
- CTV News
Canada to take steps to protect vanishing North Atlantic right whales from ships
A pair of North Atlantic right whales interact at the surface of Cape Cod Bay, in Massachusetts, on March 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File, NOAA permit # 21371) The Canadian government says it is taking steps this summer to protect a vanishing species of whale from lethal collisions with ships in its waters. The whale is the North Atlantic right whale, which numbers only about 370. The whales give birth off the southeastern U.S. in the winter and spring and migrate north to New England and Canada to feed. Along the way, the whales face dangers including ship strikes and entanglement in commercial fishing gear. Environmental groups have long faulted the U.S. and Canadian governments for not doing enough to protect the critically endangered animals. Canada is enforcing mandatory protection measures for the whale this summer, Transport Canada said in a June 27 statement. All vessels of 42.7 feet (13 meters) in length or more must comply with speed restrictions in designated areas of the ocean to avoid whale strikes, the agency said. Transport Canada said it is also requesting voluntary slowdowns in other parts of the ocean. The restrictions reflect the agency's commitment 'to the protection and conservation of endangered North Atlantic right whales,' the agency said. 'Transport Canada has been taking action to help protect this iconic species from vessel collisions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, a high-traffic area where right whales are often seen,' the statement said. The restrictions are being enforced at a time when scientists are voicing concern about a lack of right whale reproduction. The New England Aquarium in Boston said earlier this year that this year's calving season produced only 11 mother-calf pairs. U.S. government authorities have said the whales need to have at least 50 calves per season to start recovering the population. The U.S. government decided earlier this year to withdraw a proposal that would have required more ships to slow down in East Coast waters to spare the whale. The move came in the final days of President Joe Biden's administration and federal ocean managers said there was no way to implement the rules before President Donald Trump took office in January. The whale was once abundant off the East Coast, but it was decimated long ago during the commercial whaling era. It has been protected by the U.S. Endangered Species Act for decades, but has been slow to recover. Patrick Whittle, The Associated Press
Washington Post
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Canada to take steps to protect vanishing North Atlantic right whales from ships
The Canadian government says it is taking steps this summer to protect a vanishing species of whale from lethal collisions with ships in its waters. The whale is the North Atlantic right whale , which numbers only about 370. The whales give birth off the southeastern U.S. in the winter and spring and migrate north to New England and Canada to feed. Along the way, the whales face dangers including ship strikes and entanglement in commercial fishing gear. Environmental groups have long faulted the U.S. and Canadian governments for not doing enough to protect the critically endangered animals. Canada is enforcing mandatory protection measures for the whale this summer, Transport Canada said in a June 27 statement. All vessels of 42.7 feet (13 meters) in length or more must comply with speed restrictions in designated areas of the ocean to avoid whale strikes, the agency said. Transport Canada said it is also requesting voluntary slowdowns in other parts of the ocean. The restrictions reflect the agency's commitment 'to the protection and conservation of endangered North Atlantic right whales,' the agency said. 'Transport Canada has been taking action to help protect this iconic species from vessel collisions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, a high-traffic area where right whales are often seen,' the statement said. The restrictions are being enforced at a time when scientists are voicing concern about a lack of right whale reproduction . The New England Aquarium in Boston said earlier this year that this year's calving season produced only 11 mother-calf pairs. U.S. government authorities have said the whales need to have at least 50 calves per season to start recovering the population. The U.S. government decided earlier this year to withdraw a proposal that would have required more ships to slow down in East Coast waters to spare the whale. The move came in the final days of President Joe Biden's administration and federal ocean managers said there was no way to implement the rules before President Donald Trump took office in January. The whale was once abundant off the East Coast, but it was decimated long ago during the commercial whaling era. It has been protected by the U.S. Endangered Species Act for decades, but has been slow to recover.
The Independent
03-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Canada to take steps to protect vanishing North Atlantic right whales from ships
The Canadian government says it is taking steps this summer to protect a vanishing species of whale from lethal collisions with ships in its waters. The whale is the North Atlantic right whale, which numbers only about 370. The whales give birth off the southeastern U.S. in the winter and spring and migrate north to New England and Canada to feed. Along the way, the whales face dangers including ship strikes and entanglement in commercial fishing gear. Environmental groups have long faulted the U.S. and Canadian governments for not doing enough to protect the critically endangered animals. Canada is enforcing mandatory protection measures for the whale this summer, Transport Canada said in a June 27 statement. All vessels of 42.7 feet (13 meters) in length or more must comply with speed restrictions in designated areas of the ocean to avoid whale strikes, the agency said. Transport Canada said it is also requesting voluntary slowdowns in other parts of the ocean. The restrictions reflect the agency's commitment 'to the protection and conservation of endangered North Atlantic right whales,' the agency said. 'Transport Canada has been taking action to help protect this iconic species from vessel collisions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, a high-traffic area where right whales are often seen,' the statement said. The restrictions are being enforced at a time when scientists are voicing concern about a lack of right whale reproduction. The New England Aquarium in Boston said earlier this year that this year's calving season produced only 11 mother-calf pairs. U.S. government authorities have said the whales need to have at least 50 calves per season to start recovering the population. The U.S. government decided earlier this year to withdraw a proposal that would have required more ships to slow down in East Coast waters to spare the whale. The move came in the final days of President Joe Biden 's administration and federal ocean managers said there was no way to implement the rules before President Donald Trump took office in January. The whale was once abundant off the East Coast, but it was decimated long ago during the commercial whaling era. It has been protected by the U.S. Endangered Species Act for decades, but has been slow to recover.
