An endangered North Atlantic right whale entangled in fishing gear has been spotted in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, northeast of New Brunswick's Acadian Peninsula. A pair of North Atlantic right whales interact at the surface of Cape Cod Bay, in Massachusetts, March 27, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Robert F. Bukaty
HALIFAX – An endangered North Atlantic right whale entangled in fishing gear has been spotted in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, northeast of New Brunswick’s Acadian Peninsula.
The federal Fisheries Department says the adult female, known as Shelagh, was first seen Friday during a routine surveillance flight.
Officials say the entangled gear is caught in the whale’s mouth.
The department says officials with the federal Marine Mammal Response Program will try to remove the gear if the weather and sea conditions allow.
The sighting northwest of ÃŽles-de-la-Madeleine, Que., marks the first time a right whale has been seen in Canadian waters this season.
Officials say it remains unclear what type of fishing gear is involved or where it came from.
“Identification of the gear type and its origin are typically only confirmed after investigation and when gear is removed from an animal,” the department said in a statement.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 13, 2024.
