Endangered North Pacific Right Whale spotted in B.C., only 4th time in 70 years
An endangered North Pacific Right Whale was spotted in the waters off Haida Gwaii for only the fourth time in roughly 70 years, according to Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).
The federal government's online profile of the species says fewer than 50 North Pacific Right Whales are expected to live off the coast of Canada, in the southeastern portion of the Bering Sea – and overall, fewer than 250 adult whales of the species are expected to be alive today.
Researchers Jared Towers and James Pilkington recorded the whale off the west coast of Haida Gwaii on Tuesday, according to a social media post from Towers.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada says it was only the fourth sighting of the rare whale in Canadian waters since 1951. Three of those sightings took place relatively recently, since 2013.
Towers says the images, videos and samples that were taken this week will help determine if the same whale has been seen in Alaska or Russia before, what type of copepods it was recently feeding on, what sex the whale is, and if it is pregnant.
"It’s been over a century since most of this whale’s ancestors were all harpooned, but Right Whales in the North Pacific are still near the brink of extinction," wrote Towers.
The federal government says that Right Whales in the North Atlantic "are at particular risk due to collisions from ships and entanglement in fishing gear, and the same is likely true of North Pacific Right Whales."
"The North Pacific Right Whale is the rarest species of large cetacean and may number fewer than 100 animals," says the Government of Canada.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
BREAKING 14 suspects arrested in grandparent scam targeting seniors across Canada: Ontario police
An interprovincial investigation into an 'emergency grandparents scam' that targeted seniors across Canada has led to the arrest of 14 suspects, Ontario Provincial Police say.
Motion to allow keffiyehs at Ontario legislature fails
A motion to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh within Queen’s Park failed to receive unanimous consent Thursday just moments after Ontario Premier Doug Ford reiterated his view that prohibiting the garment in the House is divisive.
B.C. child killer's lawyer walks out of review hearing
The lawyer representing child-killer Allan Schoenborn walked out of his client's annual review hearing Wednesday – abruptly ending proceedings marked by tense exchanges and several outbursts.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Juror dismissed in Trump hush money trial as prosecutors ask for former president to face contempt
Prosecutors in the hush money trial of Donald Trump asked Thursday for the former president to be held in contempt and fined because of seven social media posts that they said violated a judge's gag order barring him from attacking witnesses.
Why drivers in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada will see a gas price spike, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
It's the biggest election in history. Here's why few Indians in Canada will take part
In the Indian general election that gets underway on Friday, almost a billion people are eligible to vote, but a vast majority of the overseas Indian community in Canada won't be casting a ballot.