Pictured in 2011, Wolverine, a male endangered north Atlantic right whale, was found killed in the Gulf of St. Lawrence
A dead North Atlantic right whale has been found drifting in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada said in a media release the dead whale was spotted during an aerial surveillance flight on June 4.
"We are working with the Marine Animal Response Society (MARS), the Quebec Marine Mammal Emergency Response Network, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to find the whale and try to recover it," reads the release.
If the whale is located, Fisheries and Oceans Canada said it would attempt to install a satellite tag on the whale so it can be tracked.
The release states the department is assessing recovery and necropsy options.
This is the first right whale death reported in 2019. There were none reported in Canadian waters last year and Fisheries and Oceans Canada decided to continue with protective measures.
A report released late last year said there were only 411 right whales left alive.
Reader Comments
After much effort, I convinced a friend to paddle out to where she was, about a 1/3rd mile out in the ocean. But when we got there it seemed too small - only 14 feet or so.
And THEN, Mama swam under us...It reminded me of the big space ship that goes by and goes by forever at the beginning of Star Wars? (She was 48 feet long per the newspaper article the next day.)
Totally cool! So we hung out with Mama and baby whale, (as close as 10 feet from us) and the story continues. Was one of my coolest experiences ever.
R.C.
Demore: My first thought was the prop cuts also.
RC