Search and rescue efforts for three endangered North Atlantic right whales that were found entangled in ropes were foiled on Wednesday because of poor weather conditions. “While poor weather conditions have caused difficulties in our search efforts since these right whales were first reported, DFO and partners remain committed to taking all possible steps to re-locate these whales and initiate disentanglement efforts if/when it is safe to do so,” it said. All three entangled whales were spotted in areas already closed to fishing, the department said. Right whales spend a significant amount of time swimming under water, making it difficult to observe them from the air, it said in the statement. Haulena said the right whale is one of the most endangered populations of baleen whales anywhere in the world.

Source: National Post July 11, 2019 08:15 UTC