By Canadian Press

Latest dead North Atlantic right whale off Canada’s coast believed to be female

Jun 21, 2019 | 8:29 AM

FREDERICTON — The latest dead North Atlantic right whale spotted in the Gulf of St. Lawrence is believed to be a large female.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada says the whale was spotted northeast of the Iles-de-la-Madeleine on Thursday.

Fishery officers were able to install a satellite tag to track the carcass.

Tonya Wimmer, executive director of the Marine Animal Response Society, says bad weather — including strong winds — over the next few days will complicate getting the whale to shore for a necropsy to establish the cause of death.

The latest discovery, the second this year, came the same day a study was published finding more than half of the 70 known North Atlantic right whale deaths over the last 16 years were caused by entanglement in fishing gear or vessel collisions.

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A nine-year-old male right whale was found dead off the coast of New Brunswick this month, but preliminary necropsy results were inconclusive.

There are estimated to be about 410 North Atlantic right whales left in the ocean.

The Canadian Press