It’s almost as if you can’t go a full month without news that yet another North Atlantic Right Whale has been seen entangled or dead in waters off the US and Canada.
This week, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) reported spotting an adult male right whale named Dropcloth entangled off the coast of New Brunswick.
Infuriatingly, this is the second time Dropcloth has been sighted in Canada with an entanglement, the first being in July 2019, according to marine advocacy group Oceana.
The entanglement was observed during a routine flight. DFO and other partners will continue to monitor the situation to determine response options, and if weather and sea conditions allow, efforts will be made to attempt disentanglement. The origin of the fishing gear that entangled Dropcloth has yet to be determined.
Oceana Canada’s campaign director Kim Elmslie said:
“The news of another whale entangled in fishing gear is heartbreaking. With only 356 North Atlantic right whales left, and about 70 breeding-age females, this crisis must be stopped. Ropeless gear allows fishing activity to continue while preventing entanglements, removing webs of dangerous ropes from the path of migrating whales. Oceana Canada is calling on DFO to require ropeless gear by 2025 in areas that are the highest risk to right whales. In addition, DFO must continue ropeless gear trials, provide support for gear-lending programs and maintain the current system of fisheries closures when whales are present. Even minor entanglements can harm a right whale, leading to devastating injuries and death. The governments must do everything possible to immediately protect this critically endangered population, or Canada risks watching a whale species go extinct in our lifetime.”
While Gib Brogan, campaign director for Oceana in the United States, added:
“More must be done to protect North Atlantic right whales from entanglements with fishing gear. Each entanglement creates stress for the whale which accelerates the species’ path to extinction. The U.S. and Canadian governments know what must be done to help save North Atlantic right whales. If the governments act in time, this species has a chance. If the governments don’t act fast, this may be the best-documented failure of species management of all time — a preventable catastrophe, unfolding over years. President Biden can act now by publishing the vessel speed rule to protect these whales from another top threat of boat strikes.”
