The whale just as we imagine it: round
and chubby! Right whales were almost wiped out in the North
Atlantic at the end of the 1880s. Today, some 300 survivors are threatened
by collisions with boats and accidental entanglements in fishing gear.
North Atlantic right whale "Science
and conservation"
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Long
considered an inexhaustible resource, the North Atlantic
right whale is now the most threatened large whale in the world. The
Basque discovered the St. Lawrence in their pursuit of this precious
animal. A slow coastal dweller, it was easy prey and required little
effort to retrieve from the water due to the buoyancy afforded by its thick
layer of blubber. Prized for its precious oil and smooth baleen plates,
its numbers gradually dwindled. The hunt was expanded to include rorquals
and sperm whales, although the northern right whale continued to be the
prey of choice. The commercial hunt of the North Atlantic right whale first
began in the 12th century and continued on to the early 1930s. By the turn
of the century, this species had been decimated, possibly reduced to a mere
50 whales in the North Atlantic.
Today, researchers estimate
that there are some 300 right whales in the North Atlantic and
that the growth rate of this population is three times slower than that of
their cousin, the southern right whale. The right whale has
virtually disappeared from the coasts of Europe, while in the St. Lawrence
a few individuals were sighted by research teams on the north shore of the
Gulf between 1976 and 1989. The Observation Littoral PercÈ team has
photographed eight North Atlantic right whales off PercÈ since 1995.
Observations were also reported in the Estuary of the St. Lawrence near
the mouth of the Saguenay River during the summer of 1998. At one time the
right whale was abundant in the St. Lawrence, but it was
intensively hunted by the Basque, whose presence is reflected in the place
names along the banks of this river.
Why is the North Atlantic right
whale having such a struggle recovering from the ravages of the past? It
is believed that collisions with cargo ships, accidental entanglements in
fishing gear, pollution and inbreeding are among the possible causes. A
catalogue of photo-identifications of right whales in the North Atlantic
has revealed that over one half have scars caused by boats or fishing gear.
Furthermore, one third of whale fatalities each year are directly linked to
these human activities. In Georgia and Florida, in an effort to reduce the
risk of collision, planes fly along the coast to inform boat operators of
the movements of right whales and to ask them to be vigilant. This has
been a very effective program and plans are in the works to implement it in
New England and the Bay of Fundy.
A team of specialists headed by
the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada and World Wildlife Fund
Canada recently presented (15 September 2000) the Canadian North Atlantic
right whale recovery plan. Although this species has been protected
since 1935 and has had the status of endangered population in Canada since
1980, its survival requires further special measures. The recovery plan
will consolidate its American counterpart, implemented in 1991. It will
provide concrete measures for the protection of right whales in Canadian
waters, notably in the Bay of Fundy, which is a critical habitat for
mothers and calves during summer.
