'We're on standby': Team ready to help entangled right whale in Gulf of St. Lawrence
CTV
A team is ready to help an entangled North Atlantic right whale in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Mackie Greene and his team are waiting for Shelagh to reappear – an entangled North Atlantic right whale recently spotted in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
It can be the longest part of their job, but they have to be ready at a moment’s notice to head out if someone spots Shelagh. Once that happens, Greene and his partners will depart from coast – likely in Shippagan, N.B. – in a Zodiac boat to find and help the elusive creature.
Their target is an adult female right whale which was seen with what seemed to be fishing gear stuck in its mouth on Friday. Greene is the director of the Campobello Whale Rescue Program and he’s helped untangle more than 40 whales in the last 20 years.
“We were notified as soon as it was seen,” Greene said. “We’re on standby. As soon as it’s seen again, we’re in small Zodiac boats. We have the gear all ready. As soon as we get that call, we’ll travel to the nearest port and launch and go out.
“Finding the whale is always the hardest part. It’s a big ocean out there. Often they’re spotted by planes. We hope Fisheries and Oceans Canada can get out to the whale and attach a satellite tag to the whale so we can track it.”
Shelagh is the first North Atlantic right whale spotted in Canadian waters for the 2024 season. The population is in a precarious position as Oceana Canada, an environmental organization, says it believes three calves have already died this season.
“We’re in an unusual mortality event that started in 2017 when you started seeing a steep decline of right whales,” said Kim Elmslie, campaign director with Oceana Canada. “It’s starting to level off. We need to protect the females.
Friday marks the first official day of spring in the northern hemisphere, but it will still feel like winter this weekend for many Canadians, as snow, sleet, rain and sub-zero temperatures are forecast across the country.
A social media post from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration this week shows a big-eyed macaque staring out from behind bars.
Young people in southeast England and beyond are lining up for the meningitis B vaccine after an outbreak killed two people, sparking supply warnings from pharmacies and raising broader questions about the best public health response to the disease.
Many wage earners are engaging in “microshifting,” a flexible scheduling approach that involves tackling job duties in short, productive bursts instead of a single nine-to-five stretch.
Tyson Atleo, a hereditary leader of the Ahousaht First Nation, says the creation of three new forestry areas to be managed by his community and two others on the west coast of Vancouver Island marks the realization of a long-standing promise.
As artificial intelligence continues to reshape industries worldwide, Canadian universities are emerging as key players – not only in developing technology but in teaching students how to use it responsibly.
Switching up your exercise routine does more than fight boredom. Engaging in varied forms of movement may significantly boost your longevity, according to research.
A seven-bedroom, five-bathroom home in Ottawa’s Rothwell Heights neighbourhood is currently the most expensive home on the market in the capital.
David Suzuki, the geneticist-turned-environmentalist, who is days away from his 90th birthday, reflected on his legacy as he prepared to release his latest book, “Lessons from a Lifetime,” which compiles photos and stories from his life, as well as testimonials written by those he inspired.
Microsoft subsidiary Bethesda said Tuesday hit space exploration game “Starfield” will appear on rival Sony’s PlayStation 5, effectively ending the practice of keeping some releases exclusive to Xbox consoles.
A woman visiting her family in Canada from the United States became ill and was admitted to the hospital, and without travel insurance, the family was shocked to get a bill for more than $110,000.
Renowned Canadian angler Jeff Gustafson back in Kenora Ont. after Bassmaster Classic absence.
A special weather statement remains in effect for Toronto Tuesday morning with winds gusting up to 80 km/h in some areas after an overnight snowfall.