Right whale research scientist Moira Brown of East Coast Ecosystems in Nova Scotia and the Centre for Coastal Studies in Cape Cod, Mass., welcomes the shipping industry's openness to the idea of shifting the shipping lanes. It's getting to the heart of the matter. This is the agency that is in contact with many, many different ships. The bottom line is none of the marine users out there have any desire to hurt these animals. They just want to know what to do.
Ship strikes are the leading human cause of right whale deaths.
The three kills in the Bay of Fundy since 1992, two of which were females who were early in their reproductive years, represent one percent of the world's North Atlantic right whales population. This death rate in human terms would be the equivalent of 7,600 New Brunswickers being killed along one stretch of highway over a 5 year period. Since 1977, scientists have been able to determine a cause of death for 18 of the 41 right whales that are known to have died. Moving the shipping lanes is one area being examined by the right whale recovery team, which was established last fall by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the World Wildlife Fund and includes Ms. Brown as a member, as well as scientists from the New England Aquarium. Irving-owned Kent Lines had about 400 of its ships move through the bay last year and acted as the shipping agent for about 600 others.