Marine Animal Response Society

1 day ago

It's with a heavy heart that we share the news of two more dead right whales in eastern Canada.

One is an animal spotted floating yesterday off the Gaspé Peninsula by an aerial survey team. This animal, a male, is being towed ashore by Fisheries and Oceans Canada for necropsy this weekend by our colleagues with the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative in Quebec and PEI.

The other animal is actually an old report of a dead floating whale off Glace Bay, Nova Scotia at the end of June. At the time, there were no images and the animal could not be relocated. Images from a mariner were recently provided and, with the assistance of the New England Aquarium, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Grand Manan Whale & Seabird Research Station, we confirmed it was a right whale. Unfortunately, that animal has not been sighted since the initial report.

This brings the total right whale deaths in 2019 in Canada to 8 individuals with a further 3 individuals entangled but free-swimming.

Sadly, this incident does not seem to be over. ...

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