One of the world’s most endangered species, the North Atlantic right whale, has been moving into to the Cabot Strait, putting them in the path of shipping vessels, according to the non-governmental organization (NGO), Oceana.
Oceana is the world’s largest NGO focusing solely on issues in the ocean, campaign director of Oceana Canada Kim Elmslie, says.
“We have about 400 of these whales left, of which only 100 are breeding females,” she said. “We have been working both in Canada and the U.S. and trying to identify solutions on what we can do to protect this species.”
Research suggests pregnant females and mothers with calves, which spend more time on the surface of the ocean, are more at risk for vessel strikes.
Elmslie says right whales are following their food, which has begun entering the Gulf of St. Lawrence because of warming waters due to climate change. The Cabot Strait is the main route into the Gulf for right whales.
“If a vessel strikes a right whale at 20 knots (37 km/h), the right whale has a zero per cent chance of surviving." — Oceana Canada's Kim Elmslie
“If a vessel strikes a right whale at 20 knots (37 km/h), the right whale has a zero per cent chance of surviving,” she says.
When a vessel brings their speed down to 10 knots (18 km/h), a right whale’s chance of survival is approximately 86 per cent, she says.
According to a press release from Oceana Canada, Transport Canada announced in February a voluntary speed limit in the Cabot Strait of 10 knots for vessels 13 metres and longer. This would take place during April 28 to June 15 and from Oct. 1 to Nov. 15.
And though this route is new to the right whale, the same press release says, “10 right whales were killed last year and only seven calves were born over the winter. There were 22 (whale) deaths in Canadian waters between 2017 and 2019.”
However, Oceana Canada’s research, which uses satellite tracking to monitor a ships speed, suggests that 72 per cent of shipping vessels are not complying with the voluntary slowdown.
Now, Oceana Canada is asking that 10 knots become the mandatory speed in the Cabot Strait.
Elmslie says each death means right whales are closer to going extinct .
“I get it, it’s voluntary, time is money (and) it’s a hard time for vessels” she said. “When you (make) it voluntary, the vessels are being the good actors and trying to do the right thing and slowing down to 10 knots, that 28 per cent of them, there’s sort of a disincentive there, the other guys have a competitive advantage.”
A full report on vessel speeds in the Cabot Strait will be released in July 2020.
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