Analyzing Human- Environment Interactions using GIS Cape Breton Highlands Education Centre/Academy
Global Geography 12
The Right Whale Project
Why are Right Whales Dying in the Gulf of St. Lawrence? There are only 458 of the critically endangered North Atlantic Right Whales left on the planet. 12 were killed this year in the Gulf of St. Lawrence (GSL), 3 in US water and at least 5 others were entangled in fishing gear. We want to explore this issue to find out why this is happening and what can be done about it. (Image Source: Maclean's Magazine)
Where do the whales usually go? Right whales are a migratory species, that habitually return to Atlantic Canadian Waters to feed on lush abundances of their prey. They spend the spring, summer, and parts of the fall in Atlantic Canadian waters, migrating to shallow waters off the coast of Florida and Georgia to calve in the winter. Female right whales only give birth to one calf every three to five years. They spend the summer and early fall months feeding and nursing their calves in waters just off the coast of New England and the Bay of Fundy.
Critical Habitats: Why would they be in the Gulf of St. Lawrence? Foraging, nursing, feeding, socialising, resting, and raising calves are all necessary to the right whale's survival. These functions are typically supported in areas called critical habitats. One reason these whales may be migrating away from these ideal areas could be for food. Some scientists argue that the whale s are not moving more to the gulf; but rather, are being found there more due to increased searches and studies
Climate Change Right whales feed primarily on a small crustacean-like creature called a copepod. Climate change may be encouraging their migration to the GSL
Problem 1: Shipping Once the whales are in the GSL, we wanted to further investigate what is killing them. Based on the necropsies, blunt trauma from ships is one key problem. The whale deaths were not along major shipping lines, but are instead located where fishing ships travel and place traps, as well as along two ferry routes. (Shipping Map Data from St. Lawrence Global Observatory)
Problem 2: Fishing Gear The second most common cause of whale death is entanglement in fishing gear, particularly crab fishing lines. As the map illustrates, the whale carcasses were recovered mostly in Zone 12 of the snow crab fishery. (Fishing Zones recreated from DFO Map)
Documented Right Whale Deaths: 1970 to Jan. 2007 According to Fisheries and Oceans Canada, collisions with vehicles were the largest documented cause of death for right whales during that time frame.
-Vessels of 20 metres or more are required to slow to 10 knots, or about 19 kilometres per hour, while travelling in the western Gulf, from the Quebec north shore to just north of Prince Edward Island. New Regulations -The slowdown regulation takes effect immediately and will remain in place until the endangered whales migrate out of the areas of concern. -The federal government also plans to usher in a new set of rules around fishing gear to improve the safety of whale migration in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Conclusion Approximately 450 North Atlantic right whales are left on the planet, and in order to save the species we must act swiftly and smartly. Being that in the matter of only three months, 15 whales have died, this shows how severe our impact is on the species.
Route cause of death in almost all cases was fishing and/or ship related. Climate change and changes to the ocean and environment are thought to be causing the migration of copepods to colder waters, which, in turn, leads to the migration of right whales to the GSL where most deaths are recorded. This climate change must be limited as much as possible, but more immediately the tightening of fishing and shipping laws is necessary so the deaths can be reduced and or avoided altogether. This will not be such an easy task, because it may disturb people s livelihoods, such as fishermen We need to make changes now, before this problem brings about the extinction of the entire right whales species.
Why GIS Is Important: Our Thoughts Informative, convenient and interactive system. GIS allows for us to create maps that provide us with world statistics, like population density, earthquake numbers and their frequencies, show us where tectonic plates are located, and the list goes on. Layering tools allow us to draw parallels between events. (how earthquakes, and volcanoes occur on plate boundary lines). Deepened our knowledge on geography. Bettered our ability to use new technology, and analyze data.
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