Some of the 17 confirmed right whale deaths in Canada and the United States last year were the result of fishing gear entanglements. There are roughly 450 right whales left in the world, and that number is declining. “Protecting Canada’s endangered whales from further harm is a responsibility that weighs heavily on all of us,” Dominic LeBlanc said Tuesday in Moncton. MONCTON, N.B.—The federal fisheries minister has imposed new measures aimed at protecting North Atlantic right whales from entanglement with fishing gear. In the meantime, she said it’s disturbing to hear reports that scientists have not spotted any baby right whales off the southeast U.S. coast during the current calving season.

Source: thestar January 23, 2018 21:00 UTC