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Canadian officials say a North Atlantic right whale has been seen entangled in fishing gear in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada says in a news release Monday that the whale was first spotted on Saturday east of Miscou Island, NS, and was seen again by a survey flight operated jointly by the fisheries department and US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Based on the aerial images, the news release says the New England Aquarium believes the animal is a female calf, about a year and a half old.
He says a tracking tag has been successfully attached to the entangled fishing gear, which is meant to aid efforts to disentangle the whale.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada says it does not yet know what type of gear the whale is stuck in, or where the gear came from.
The North Atlantic right whale is one of the most endangered large whale species in the world, with US officials saying there are about 360 whales in existence and an estimated 85 percent of right whales have been killed. entangled in fishing gear at least once.
Canada’s fisheries department said its Marine Mammal Response Program will continue to monitor the situation to determine response options and, depending on the weather, decoupling could proceed in the coming days.
This report was first published by The Canadian Press on June 24, 2024.
For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.
(Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
source link https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/entangled-right-whale-calf-spotted-in-gulf-of-st-lawrence-dfo-says-1.6939413
