A young endangered whale entangled in fishing gear has been spotted in the Gulf of St. Lawrence for the second time this week.
A federal official says the North Atlantic right whale was first seen Monday off the coast of Shippagan, N.B., and again on Wednesday on the west side of Quebec’s Iles-de-la-Madeleine.
Fisheries Department spokesman Brett Gilchrist says fishery officers tried but failed to attach a satellite tracking device to the gear trailing behind the five-year-old male.
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The department says the effort was thwarted by rough weather.
Gilchrist says if weather and sea conditions allow, a marine mammal rescue team will try to remove the gear.
The population of these massive mammals is less than 400, though their numbers have been slowly increasing since 2020.
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