Latest news with #entanglement
CTV News
3 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Entangled North Atlantic right whale spotted near P.E.I.
An entangled North Atlantic right whale that was last seen in the St. Lawrence Estuary has been re-sighted near Prince Edward Island. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) says officials saw the whale (named #5132) near Morell in the Gulf of St. Lawrence on Monday. The whale was last seen near Les Escoumins, Que., on May 27. The whale is a juvenile male that was born in 2021. It was first seen entangled near North Carolina last December. 'If the whale is located again, and weather and sea conditions allow, efforts will be made to attempt disentanglement by our Marine Mammal Response partner the Campobello Whale Rescue Team,' the DFO said in a news release. 'We ask the public not to approach a rescue effort, should you see one underway. Keep your distance. Responding to an entanglement is dangerous, and our partners need space and time to safely do their work.' There are an estimated 370 North Atlantic right whales alive today. For more P.E.I. news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
The Guardian
09-06-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Search continues for humpback whale entangled in drum line off Sydney's coast
Rescuers are continuing their search for a humpback whale that was spotted entangled in a drum line off Sydney's coast and appeared to be moving south, but authorities also say the mammal may free itself. The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) had been tracking the eight-metre whale after its pectoral fin was seen entangled 1km off the coast of Newcastle on Saturday. The whale appeared to resurface off the northern beaches in Sydney on Sunday, and then disappeared from sight while swimming around the south head of Sydney. 'Given the nature of the entanglement, the animal may disentangle itself,' a spokesperson for NPWS said. Vanessa Pirotta, a wildlife scientist, said it's not yet clear what the drum line which the whale is entangled in was used for. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Drum lines, which have fishing lines attached to a buoy, can be used for fishing or to catch and divert sharks away from popular swimming areas. She said it's also unclear if the whale – which should be heading north as part of its migration pattern – had swum south due to distress caused by the entanglement. The annual procession of thousands of whales that migrate from Antarctic feeding grounds to tropical breeding areas along Australia's east and west coasts began this month. 'Animal behaviour is unpredictable, and it's hard to tell how long it has been entangled for,' Pirotta said. 'Looking for an entangled whale is like looking for a needle in a hay stack. It may be the size of a bus, but the ocean is a big place.' The Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans (Orrca) believed the whale was travelling south on Monday, but the animal's movements and difficult weather conditions had made tracking it more difficult. Pip Jacobs, a spokesperson for Orrca, said the whale's speed had been erratic, possibly because it is stressed. 'We have Orrca members who are in this area attempting to relocate the whale this morning (by drone and from land), however predicted strong winds may make this difficult,' she said. It is calling for New South Wales residents to keep an eye on the waves today to help track the whale. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Orrca and the NPWS were working alongside the Department of Primary Industry Fisheries and NSW Marine Rescue to track the whale. 'The NPWS has Large Whale Disentanglement teams on standby to respond if the animal is sighted, however sea conditions will be a consideration in whether or not it is safe to attempt a disentanglement if required,' a spokesperson said. 'NPWS reminds people that for their own safety, as well as the safety of this animal, there is a 100-metre exclusion zone for recreational vehicles on water and drones in the air.' Once hunted to near extinction, the humpback whale– Megaptera novaeangliae – have made a remarkable recovery. The whales are no longer considered threatened and population estimates now range between a healthy 30,000 to 50,000. Animals Australia has been calling for the end of the use drum lines alongside shark nets arguing they threaten marine life. The group has been urging the government to instead implement measures to protect beach-goers that are 'non-lethal' to marine wildlife. Orrca are urging anyone who spots the whale to call its 24/7 rescue hotline on (02) 9415 3333.
CTV News
29-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
Search continues in the St. Lawrence River for entangled North Atlantic right whale
A North Atlantic right whale dives in Cape Cod Bay in Massachusetts, March 27, 2023. (Robert F. Bukaty, NOAA permit # 21371/The Canadian Press/AP) Experts with the federal Fisheries Department and Parks Canada are searching the St. Lawrence River estuary for a North Atlantic right whale tangled in fishing gear. The Fisheries and Oceans Department said the whale was spotted Tuesday on the north shore of the river, near Quebec's Saguenay-St Lawrence Marine Park. The department says its marine mammal response partners are also looking for the whale. It remains unclear whether this is a new or previously known entanglement. The public is being asked to avoid approaching any rescue effort. North Atlantic right whales are critically endangered with fewer than 400 animals remaining in the wild. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 29, 2025.
CBC
29-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Entangled right whale seen in St. Lawrence River estuary, officials say
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans says it's aware of an entangled North Atlantic right whale on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River estuary. It says the whale was spotted in the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park on Tuesday from a vessel in the area. The department says officials are trying to find the whale and that they'll try to free it if weather and sea conditions allow. The public is being asked to avoid approaching any rescue effort. Officials say they don't yet know what type of gear the whale is caught in or where the gear came from. They added that they're looking into whether this is a new or a previously known entanglement. North Atlantic right whales are critically endangered, with fewer than 400 remaining in the wild.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Whale Presumed to Be Dead Reappears After 3 Years — New Photos Show the Surprising Development
A female whale named Calvin has been spotted by researchers off the coast of Massachusetts after disappearing for three years Scientist feared the worst after the animal was last seen with what is known as an "entanglement" injury, which happens when a whale becomes entangled in discarded fishing gear or sea debris Calvin is a North Atlantic right whale, which is one of the most endangered types of whales in the worldA whale thought to have died three years ago has suddenly reappeared off the coast of Massachusetts. Calvin, a North Atlantic right whale, was spotted in a pod of over 60 whales on April 23 during an aerial survey about 55 miles south of Martha's Vineyard, according to a May 1 news release from the New England Aquarium. 'This was the first time Calvin had been seen in almost three years, and at her last sighting, she had severe entanglement wounds that were new. A lot of people had given up hope that she was still alive after not being seen for so long,' associate research scientist Katherine McKenna said in the release. The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now! An entanglement wound occurs when a whale or other sea creature becomes entangled in discarded fishing gear or sea debris, per the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The New England Aquarium release goes on to say that Calvin was orphaned at eight months old in 1992, when her mother was killed after being struck by a large vessel. Calvin herself has given birth four times and survived eight entanglements. 'Calvin's story illustrates the resiliency of right whales,' McKenna added in the aquarium's press release. 'However, their resiliency alone is not enough for this species to recover. We must reduce the sources of human-caused mortality and injury that are preventing the right whale population from thriving.' Right whales — which originally got their name because they were considered the 'right whales' to hunt by whalers due to the fact that they float once killed instead of sinking to the sea floor — are considered critically endangered. There are currently about 370 right whales left on the planet, and only about 70 of those are females of reproductive age, according to a species info page on NOAA's website. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Right whales are thought to live about 70 years, though the current average lifespan is about 65 for males and 45 for females due to human threats and activities. Researchers hypothesize that the female right whale population is declining faster than the male population due to the fact that females are more vulnerable to strikes from ships as well as entanglement injuries while they are recovering from birthing their calves, per NOAA. Currently, the species can solely be spotted along the Northeast coast of the U.S. and Canada. Interested in donating to help preserve the right whale population? You can donate to the World Wildlife Fund here. Read the original article on People
