HALIFAX – Three critically endangered North Atlantic right whales have been spotted entangled in fishing gear off the United States’ eastern seaboard this month.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says two of three whales, both young males, are expected to die.
Entanglements and vessel strikes in U.S. and Canadian waters are the main causes of death of North Atlantic right whales, and scientists say fewer than 400 are in existence.
They travel to Atlantic Canadian waters largely to feed, and they used to migrate more to the Bay of Fundy to eat plankton but have gradually migrated to the Gulf of St. Lawrence as ocean temperatures change.
Aerial surveillance teams spotted a juvenile male whale on Dec. 16 about 100 kilometres off the coast of North Carolina with several lines wrapping around its head and mouth.
And on Dec. 9 an aerial survey crew spotted two entangled whales — an adult female and a juvenile male — within a few kilometres of each other about 80 kilometres southeast of Nantucket, Mass.
The agency says that if weather permits, its entanglement response teams will monitor the whales and determine whether they can try and free the animals.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 23, 2024.
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