Another endangered North American right whale has been spotted entangled in some kind of gear in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, the second entangled whale to be seen in one week in Maritime waters.
The latest whale is a 21-year-old male identified as NARW No. 3301, also known as Neptune, said the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in a news release Wednesday.
The whale was spotted east of New Brunswick’s Acadian Peninsula on Aug. 3 by a survey vessel staffed by the Canadian Whale Institute and the New England Aquarium.
A flight shortly after the spotting didn’t see the whale, nor did it see Dropcloth, a right whale that was observed entangled in fishing gear east of Miscou Island, N.B., on July 27.
DFO said it’s not known what type of equipment Neptune is entangled in or where the gear came from.
Conservation groups believe there are between 350 and 360 North Atlantic right whales left in the world, including fewer than 70 reproductively active females.
Weather permitting, DFO said it will launch additional flights in an attempt to locate both whales.
If a whale is found, the department said it will make an effort to disentangle it, providing sea and weather conditions allow.
“We ask the public not to approach a rescue effort, should you see one underway. Keep your distance,” DFO said in the release. “Responding to an entanglement is dangerous, and our partners need space and time to safely do their work.”
The department said more information will be provided as it becomes available.
