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Canadian environmental activists are sounding the alarm about the survival of the North Atlantic right whale, a large species that lives on the east coast of the United States and Canada.
Last June, six straight whales were killed, followed by two others in July – a potentially devastating blow to an estimated population of less than 400 people.
The sudden increase in mortality would be due to boat strikes and entanglements in fishing gear caused by changes in the whale's eating habits.
Right whales generally feed on copepods Calanus finmarchicus, a tiny shrimp-like creature found abundantly in the Gulf of Maine. But according to an article published this month in the journal Oceanography, the warming of sea water has reduced Calanus finmarchicus in the Gulf, forcing whales to hunt further north in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, a region with heavy shipping.
The change in dietary habits also adds 700 to 800 additional miles (1126.5 to 1287.5 km) of their breeding grounds off the coast of Georgia.
The latest increase in mortality is particularly disappointing, as in 2003, the Canadian government and the shipping industry negotiated the redistribution of shipping lanes to avoid a feeding area and a whale nursery. the Bay. This change, which marked the first time that corridors were moved to help a species, reduced the risk of a 90% strike on ships. This change allowed the Right Whale population to increase from 350 to nearly 500 between 2000 and 2010.
Recent losses in the population include a 40-year-old female named Punctuation that scientists have been following since 1981. She gave birth to eight calves, two of which had calves.
The scientists determined that she had died after being hit by a ship. Among the whales lost in the last two months, necropsies of seven people were found dead from injuries from collisions with ships, and impregnation into fishing gear.
The outbreak of deaths occurs after no black right whales were killed in Canadian waters in 2018. The previous year, it had been discovered that 12 had died in the St. Lawrence.
"Any loss of a right whale is detrimental to the population. It's an endangered whale. Stephanie Ratelle, a fisheries biologist, told CBC.
Following recent losses, Canadian authorities are imposing a 10-knot speed limit in the western St. Lawrence for vessels of 20 meters or more.
Those who do not comply may be subject to fines of up to $ 25,000.
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