Right whale death toll could be ‘catastrophic’
MONCTON, N.B. — A marine mammal expert says the fate of a critically endangered species could hang in the balance with the death of six North Atlantic right whales found floating in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Tonya Wimmer of the Marine Animal Response Society says the string of deaths is “unprecedented,” amounting to more than one per cent of the 500 North Atlantic right whales believed to be roaming the seas.
“For a species that’s on the brink like this, every individual counts,” says Wimmer.
“Every year we might have a few individuals that are found dead, and those are devastating in themselves … We’re at six (deaths) confirmed, and that’s quite catastrophic for this population.”
Wimmer says federal scientists, marine biologists, fishermen and other experts have rallied to get to the bottom of what killed the mammals.
The Fisheries Department has sent aircraft and Canadian Coast Guard vessels try to track down the carcasses in the waters near the Magdalen Islands.
Collecting biological samples will be critical to determining what caused the deaths and hopefully prevent further losses, she says.
“There is a huge sense of urgency to get out there and try our best to figure out what’s going on,” Wimmer says.
“Being able to get at the root cause is really important, but time is of the essence.”
Scientists have a short window of opportunity to examine the whales before their remains are lost to decay, the marine biologist says, their blubber broiling in the heat and turning the dead animal into “a giant oven.”
Marc LeCouffe of the Fisheries Department says officials are to meet Monday to discuss the next step in their response: hauling a massive mammal to shore for an autopsy examination.
Some of the whales have been tagged with satellite trackers, which will make it easier to find the drifting carcasses, says LeCouffe.
The North Atlantic right whale was hunted to near extinction in the late 18th century and has struggled ever since.
They are particularly vulnerable to ship strikes because they are oblivious to their surroundings while eating.