In The News: Coasts & Oceans

2021-05-03

A baby female pilot whale that was found stranded over the weekend at a beach east of Halifax didn't survive, despite the best efforts of rescuers from a marine animal conservation group.

2021-04-14

As the North Atlantic right whale population declines rapidly, regulators have proposed or enacted a series of closures of significant areas of lobster fishing grounds off the coast of New England and Atlantic Canada to protect the endangered whales from entanglement from traditional lobster trap lines. NOAA officials estimate there are several million vertical lines in the whale’s path in the region.

2021-02-19

Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Transport Canada announced the measures that will be in place in 2021 to reduce the risks to North Atlantic right whales from fishing and shipping. Building on measures from 2020, CWF is encouraged by new additional measures to help protect this endangered species.

2021-02-18

The federal Fisheries Department will continue efforts this year to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales in Canadian waters, but it is making some changes to reduce the impact on the fishing industry.

2021-02-13

"Rewilding'' is the process of reintroducing animals to an area where their species used to roam in the hope of re-establishing that population, according to a senior conservation biologist with the Canadian Wildlife Federation. Carolyn Callaghan says the cheetahs' journey from Quebec to Africa — the product of a partnership between Parc Safari, the Aspinall Foundation and Imire — is an example of the international effort that is increasingly needed to save vulnerable animals. The partnership also reflects the shifting role of zoos, she said, from displaying captive animals to helping repopulate endangered species.

2020-12-23

Researcher says 80 per cent chance a ship strike would be fatal, even under current speed restrictions

2020-11-26

“We’ve shown clearly that small vessels can be a threat to whales. We’ve shown that very light, but fast-moving vessels like trans-oceanic racing sailboats can cause potentially lethal injuries to whales, so it means if you’re in a vessel on the ocean, you may be a threat to these animals,” says Sean Brillant, an adjunct in the Department of Oceanography, and Senior Marine Biologist for the Canadian Wildlife Federation.

2020-11-24

Whales were thought to have left Canadian waters by now

2020-10-28

A conservation group is calling on the Canadian and U.S. governments to take action to protect North Atlantic right whales after new data revealed a sharp decline in the animal’s population. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that as of January 2019, an estimated 366 North Atlantic right whales remained in the ocean, down from the previous count of 412 in 2018.

2020-10-28

Sean Brillant, who works for the Canadian Wildlife Federation and is chair of the Ropeless Consortium, said they are approaching roughly 1,000 trials across the Eastern Seaboard, the bulk of which has been done in the last 12 months.