The young black whale that had been swimming in the St. Lawrence for several days while being entangled in fishing gear ropes was finally freed this Wednesday by a team that intervened in the estuary.
The Quebec Marine Mammal Emergency Network (RQUMM) confirmed late Wednesday that the young whale, just over a year old, can now swim freely, following an intervention by a team from the Campobello Whale Rescue Team, assisted by teams from Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).
The whale, which was observed entangled off the coast of New Brunswick on June 22, and again this Monday in the St. Lawrence Estuary, was freed from its ropes between Baie-Comeau and Matane. “There is only a segment of rope left around one of the whale’s pectoral fins. The teams are hopeful that with the cuts made, the released tension will allow the remaining rope to detach itself,” said the RQUMM.
This type of operation is always risky for rescuers, due to the very aggressive nature of right whales when entangled. A rescuer died in 2017 while trying to free an adult whale in the Gulf of St. Lawrence off Shippagan, in the Acadian Peninsula.
“A satellite tag was attached to the whale’s back to allow DFO teams to track its movements. Navigation vigilance notices will continue to be issued to minimize the risk of collisions with users of the St. Lawrence,” adds the RQUMM.
It must be said that the whale is located in the St. Lawrence Estuary, an area where ships are numerous going up or down the river. However, unlike the areas of the Gulf that are subject to seasonal measures limiting the speed of ships to 10 knots (18.5 km/h) in the event of a sighting of a right whale, there are no such measures in the estuary.
In this context, Transport Canada can only suggest that navigators “voluntarily reduce their speed.”
Mortality
The North Atlantic right whale is considered “endangered” under Canada’s Species at Risk Act. Increasingly present in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, especially in summer, this species spends the winter season along the American east coast, mainly in the southern part of this region.
Its feeding, migration and calving habitats are therefore in areas of intense human activity. It is also particularly vulnerable to collisions with ships and entanglement in fishing gear.
The species numbers about 360 individuals at most, including fewer than 100 females of breeding age. And following the most recent birthing season, five of the 19 new calves have already died.
Protection efforts had, however, allowed the population to increase to around 500 individuals in 2010. However, the situation has worsened, particularly due to exceptional mortality. In 2017, no fewer than 17 adult right whales were found dead, including 12 in Canadian waters.
It was following these deaths that the federal government implemented measures to protect the species in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. In addition to speed limits that can be imposed on ships, fishing areas can be closed in the event of the presence of right whales.
Nearly all females that gave birth during the 2023-2024 season have already been enmeshed more than once, according to data from the New England Aquarium. One of these females has even been entangled eight times in her lifetime.