A young black whale entangled in fishing gear was observed Monday in the St. Lawrence Estuary, off Rimouski. It is swimming in an area where several commercial vessels operate. But since there is no speed limit to protect the species in this maritime region, mariners are simply “invited” by Transport Canada to “voluntarily reduce their speed” in order to reduce the risk of killing the cetacean.
This female black whale, just over a year old, is now facing the two main threats to the survival of her species for several years: entanglement in fishing gear and collisions with ships.
The threat of a potentially fatal collision is taken seriously by Transport Canada. The duty obtained an email sent Monday by this federal ministry to representatives of the industrial maritime industry, to representatives of the fishing sector and to other representatives of companies linked to navigation on the St. Lawrence.
It must be said that the whale was in the St. Lawrence Estuary on Monday, between Forestville and Rimouski, in an area where there are many ships going up or down the St. Lawrence. However, unlike areas of the Gulf that are subject to seasonal measures that limit 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 a slowdown. “Navigators are asked to voluntarily reduce their speed so as not to exceed a maximum speed of 10 knots,” the email states. “Navigators are asked to remain vigilant and exercise caution in Canadian waters to avoid collisions with whales,” the federal department adds.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada had not responded to our questions at the time of publication of this text. It is this department that can notably coordinate a possible operation to try to free the entangled animal, in collaboration with a team based in the Maritimes and American experts on the species.
Since the young right whale was first observed entangled on June 22, off the coast of New Brunswick, the idea of freeing the animal was raised in a previous email from Transport Canada. It should be noted that there is no team authorized to free a right whale in Quebec. At this time, it is not possible to know if a disentanglement operation will be attempted in the estuary.
Mortalities
The North Atlantic right whale is listed as “endangered” under Canada’s Species at Risk Act. This species, increasingly present especially in summer in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, spends the winter season along the American east coast, mainly in the south of the country. Its feeding, migration and calving habitats are therefore in areas of intense human activity, including fishing and shipping.
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. The situation has since worsened, however, particularly due to exceptional mortality in Canadian waters. In 2017, no fewer than 17 adult right whales were found dead, including 12 in Canadian waters.
It was following these mortalities 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.