Search for entangled right whale in Bay of Fundy suspended for safety reasons


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Three rescue boats and a Fisheries and Oceans Canada aerial team had to call off their search again Tuesday for an entangled North Atlantic right whale, spotted in the Bay of Fundy, east of Grand Manan island, Monday morning.


Jerry Conway, an adviser with the Canadian Whale Institute and a member of the Campobello Whale Rescue team, said fog reduced visibility to less than half a kilometre by mid-afternoon, creating unsafe conditions for the crews.


Members of the Campobello team, the Grand Manan Whale and Seabird Research Station team, and New England Aquarium team hope to resume the search Wednesday, weather permitting, he said.



Conway remains optimistic they’ll be able to find the whale, identified as a 10-year-old male dragging an orange buoy.


But until they determine exactly how entangled it is, it’s unclear if they’ll be able to free it completely.


The whale did not appear to be too distressed when spotted Monday, he said.


‘Swimming relatively easily’


“The whale was swimming relatively easily, it appeared, and it was diving on occasions, so it appeared the whale wasn’t having any serious problems in its normal behaviour.”


Still, the crews are anxious to reach the endangered whale and remove as much of the fishing gear as possible.


There are only an estimated 450 North Atlantic right whales left in the world. Of those, only about 100 are breeding females.


Jerry Conway, an adviser with the Canadian Whale Institute and a member of the Campobello Whale Rescue team, said fog reduced visibility, hampering efforts to find the whale. (CBC)


Fisheries and Oceans Canada will continue to conduct aerial surveillance and work with the Campobello Whale Rescue Team, other partners and industry over the coming days to find the whale and assess its condition, according to an emailed statement. 


Departmental vessels will provide support and assistance as required at that time, it said.


The Grand Manan Fishermen’s Association has also offered to help, said Conway.


Whales can travel hundreds of kilometres while entangled in fishing gear, fisheries officials have said. (International Fund for Animal Welfare)



The entangled whale was spotted Monday about 9 a.m. by members of the Grand Manan Whale and Seabirds Research Station team, approximately 22 nautical miles east of Grand Manan.


The team from New England was able to locate the whale around 11 a.m., but is not equipped or qualified to perform rescues, said Conway.


They stayed with the whale, awaiting the arrival of the Campobello rescue team, and identified it as one previously catalogued by the New England Aquarium as #3843.


North Atlantic right whales have unique, distinct patterns on their heads, which researchers use to identify them, he explained.


Four members of the Campobello team were forced to turn back at around noon due to a mechanical problem with their vessel, which Conway described as “at least” 25 years old.


Heavy fog, strong wind and two-metre high waves also hampered their efforts, he said.





The three teams resumed their search early Tuesday morning, dividing an area measuring approximately 40 square miles into three sections.


They searched for several hours before deteriorating conditions forced the suspension of the search.







Fisheries and Oceans Canada said the teams could be dealing with poor weather conditions for a couple of days.






Article source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-far-right-la-meute-1.3876225?cmp=rss


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