4 North Atlantic right whales spotted in Bay of Fundy
CBC
Four North Atlantic right whales were spotted Saturday in the Bay of Fundy — the first documented sighting of the species in that area this year.
North Atlantic right whales are endangered with fewer than 350 remaining.
Danielle Dion, a biologist and naturalist with Quoddy Link Marine, said the whale-watching company based in St. Andrews, N.B., headed out on the Bay of Fundy with crew and 31 passengers Saturday morning.
It was a foggy morning and the captain decided to take the boat to an area the ship hadn't explored in several weeks.
Once the fog lifted, some crew members noticed tails a couple of miles away, so they headed toward them and waited for the whales to resurface.
When a whale came close to the boat, Dion and a fellow crew member yelled out "right whale!"
"For a couple minutes, I could barely talk," she said.
"I was in tears. It's such a special experience to see these animals that are critically endangered."
Dion said the whales were spotted more than a kilometre northeast of Eastern Wolf Island.
"Every sighting is very important," said Dion, noting how few North Atlantic right whales exist.
Dion said she and the team quickly began documenting the sightings and called the Canadian Whale Institute for official documentation.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans was also contacted, along with Fundy Traffic.
Moira Brown, senior scientist with the Canadian Whale Institute, said her team was already in the Bay of Fundy conducting surveys when she got the call.
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