I received a note from a reader of this blog, Lamna nasus, last Wednesday in which he suggested that the critically endangered North Atlantic Right Whales are currently threatened by the start of the commercial lobster fishing season in the Bay of Fundy in Canada. He repeated this concern in a recent comment and that we should be more concerned about Right Whales than minke whales.
The commercial lobster season was scheduled to start in the Bay of Fundy last Monday, and about 50 right whales were yet to leave the area as part of their annual migration. It was feared the whales would become entangled in lobster fishing gear.
But by the time I received the note from Lamna, it appeared the start of the lobster season had already been delayed, not by the whales, but by bad weather. It also appeared that the Canadian fisheries department was well aware of the situation and was keeping an eye on the whales.
I agree with Lamna that North Atlantic Right whales are more deserving of our attention and a concerted conservaton effort, than the very common minke whale which captures our attention every year because Greenpeace likes battling the Japanese on the high seas. There are perhaps just 350 Right whales in the North Atlantic while there are perhaps more than a million minke whales in the earth's oceans.
Boat strikes seem as much a problem for Right whales as fishing gear. So what is the future for this species of whale?
No mention by David of the fact that a critically endangered species should require the local fishing industry to make the necessary conservation changes...
Instead David concentrates on links to tell everyone that there will be an economic cost for helping conserve this critically endangered species...
Let's not forget David is the one who waffles on endlessly about the importance of concentrating on 'real' conservation protecting 'truly' endangred species rather than being distracted by other species...
Yeah right when that opportunity comes up David promptly posts a series of links about fishermen not forgetting the opportunity to have a disingenuous pop at Greenpeace when there are already other environmental NGOs addressing this issue.
Instead he wants to imply Greenpeace should send a ship to the Bay of Fundy...when one of the biggest causes of North Atlantic Right Whale mortalities is ship strike...... good idea Einstein....
Readers still interested in the topic might not have seen some of the latest news:
"Lobstermen say proposed rope ban will put their industry in a bind"
http://bangordailynews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=143372&zoneid=500
Some briefer articles on this here:
"Fishermen say new rope regulations will cost too much"
http://www.boston.com/news/local/maine/articles/2006/11/24/fishermen_say_new_rope_regulations_will_cost_too_much/
"Lobstermen: New Rope Regulations Too Costly"
http://www.wmtw.com/news/10390545/detail.html
No mention of any "action" from Greenpeace yet. They'll be all over the media by this time next month, but of course in a different part of the world...
Ian, Why don't you try googling something like North Atlantic right whale lobster from the comfort of your arm chair? There are a few things written there that may answer some of your queries.
A Nature article from 2001 (which I realise is way to outdated for the likes of Ian, aside from any experiences of painting fishing boats) mentions that the species could be on the road to recovery if 2-3 females could be saved each year, saying that the problem appears to be that the females are not living long enough to get a chance at reproduction. It says that in 1980 the average life expectancy of a female was >50 years, but by 1995 it was down to 60% of North Alantic right whales have scars from entanglement in fishing gear "such as lobster pots and sink gillnets." It should be noted that animals may be struck by ships or entangled in gear and die at a much later stage, especially pregnant/lactating females which are obviously already drawing on a lot of their own resources.
Ian the contibuters here have tried to present you with various pieces of information to help highlight the problems these animals (which as Lamna says are recognised as being endangered) face. The only one airing any prejudices is yourself. As I mentioned before, you are baiting.
"$hit happens". Yes Ian we know - everytime we see your name at the bottom of a post.
'$hit happens.' - Ian Mott
That's Motty's thorough and detailed scientific plan for protecting critically endangered species. Must be difficult for Motty to type with both his hands in his trouser pockets. :o)
And Luke is so keen to change topic and weasel out of answering key questions on another thread that he needs to come onto this one to drum up some PR support. The pathetic "leaving the field" response of a propagandist rabit in the spotlight.
"Over 65% of North Atlantic right whales have scars from being entangled in fishing gear."
But was it lobster fishing gear?
The one caught in the fishing weir probably had ancestors caught in the same one 2000 years ago.
And those 65% obviously survived. $hit happens.
Three minutes on Google - north atlantic right whale entangled fishing gear - produced:
'Over 65% of North Atlantic right whales have scars from being entangled in fishing gear.'
www ..
.rightwhaleweb ..
.org/rescue
Gotta admire Motty, he's always up for a ruck as soon as he's finished being spoon fed. :o)
Motty's straw man wants a video of a pod of Right Whales choking to death on lobster pots with Bay of Fundy painted on them... which he will then claim has been faked... yawn.
My note to Jen.. 14th Nov. This blog’s promotion of the Japanese Fisheries Ministries whaling 18th Nov, before finding time on 19th Nov. to guess the Canadian weather a couple of weeks into the future, ..still it was a good opportunity to have a pop at Greenpeace.....
Less than 90 of the remaining critically endangered North Atlantic Right Whales are estimated to be females of breeding age and the Canadian Disheries Department were also well aware of the threat to their cod stock situation and kept an eye on it.....
George and David had their fingers crossed though Jen, so no worries eh?
no glue
Guys Mean Grott hasn't got a clue - trust me. I've just done him like a dinner (Anne - Aussie slang for pooned him him like a newb) big time on another thread and he got abusive - didn't call me a bullocky's daughter though so I got off lightly. He's all envelope.