Entangled North Atlantic right whale spotted in Gulf of St. Lawrence
CBC
An endangered North Atlantic right whale has been spotted entangled in fishing gear in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, east of Miscou Island, N.B., says Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
The whale, which was spotted Saturday by a DFO science team during a routine flight, has been confirmed as NARW No. 1271, also known as Dropcloth, an adult male of unknown age, according to a news release issued Tuesday.
Dropcloth, first documented in 1978, has been entangled at least four previous times, said Amy Knowlton, a senior scientist at the New England Aquarium. "Unfortunately it's all too frequent an event."
The current entanglement appears to be one line through the whale's mouth, which may be affecting his ability to feed, said Mackie Greene, director of whale rescue for the Canadian Whale Institute.
"Although it's not a real complicated entanglement … yeah, I think it's definitely impacting the whale's health," he said, noting the whale, named for his numerous spots, is swimming slowly and is grey instead of the usual shiny black.
The whale "isn't in great shape," said Brett Gilchrist, director of national programs for Fisheries and Oceans Canada. "So we're, of course, actively seeking to disentangle that whale."
Conservation groups believe there are between 350 and 360 North Atlantic right whales left in the world, including fewer than 70 reproductively active females.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada's marine mammal response program is monitoring the situation to determine response options with its partners if the whale is located again, and if weather and sea conditions allow a disentanglement attempt.
The condition of the whale is a consideration in the timing of a rescue, said GIlchrist, but the safety of responders is also key. "And weather plays a huge factor in that," he said.
A rescue team is on standby on Campobello Island, said Greene, but he believes it will be at least Friday before the weather allows any attempts.
The wind has been blowing around 15 to 20 knots all week, "which is just too much," he said. "We're dealing with 20-foot poles, you know, with a sharp knife on the end, in a 20-foot boat. So we've got to have pretty good weather to, you know, to be able to be successful for a disentanglement."
The disentanglement itself doesn't look like it will be overly complicated, according to Greene.
"If we can get in, make just one cut, you know, on either side of the mouth of the whale, we should be able to pull that [rope] right out."
Having said that, trying to sneak up on a whale and get near its mouth is no easy feat. "Anytime you get near them, they dive to try to get clear of ya. … So it's really, really tough," he said.