Canada’s most endangered whales
Whales: they’re giant ecosystem engineers that recycle nutrients, store carbon, stabilize the ocean ecosystem, and contribute to the health of fisheries. But while whales are vastly important to the environment and humans, many populations are not doing so well. Of Canada’s 33 whale species, 19 populations are listed as endangered, threatened, or of special concern under the Species at Risk Act (SARA). Some of Canada’s most at risk whale populations are the North Atlantic right whale, the Southern Resident killer whale, and the St. Lawrence beluga whale.
North Atlantic right whale
The North Atlantic right whale powers its 70-tonne body with krill and small fish. While it normally inhabits of the Atlantic coast of the U.S. and Canada, adult females travel to the warmer waters of the southern U.S. to give birth and nurse their young. Historically known as the “right” whales to hunt, since they float once they are killed, they have been experiencing population decline since the mid-20th century. Scientists estimate that there are only 400 North Atlantic right whales left.
Aside from whaling, the greatest threats to North Atlantic right whales are entanglement in fishing buoy lines, which can lead to serious injury and death; ship strikes, especially since the waters in which they live are close to major Atlantic ports; and noise from recreation and the shipping and energy industries, which can affect whales’ mating, communication, and their ability to navigate and find food.
Conservation status in Canada: Listed as endangered under the Species at Risk Act (SARA) and endangered under the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC).
Conservation status in the US: Listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and designated as depleted under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).
Conservation status internationally: Listed as Appendix 1 (at risk of extinction) under the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) and as endangered under the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).