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Fisheries and Oceans Canada
November 2003
Mont-Joli, Quebec
The Blue Whale A Fragile Giant
Each day, everywhere in the world, animal and vegetal species disappear forever, diminishing the biodiversity of our planet.In May 2002, in order to highlight the precarious state of the Earth's largest inhabitant, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada declared the blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) of the Atlantic an “endangered species”.
[Image: A child's drawing of a whale]
The dramatic decline in the number of blue whales is mainly due to commercial hunting, which reduced their population by more than 70% during the first half of the 20th century. A low rate of calving also contributes to this situation : in Atlantic Canada, the number of mature blue whales is estimated at fewer than 250.
This factsheet aims at introducing you to blue whales, to the threats that they encounter, and to the new Act respecting the protection of wildlife species at risk in Canada, which now helps to better protect them.
How is the status of endangered wildlife determined in Canada?
The status of wildlife species in Canada is assessed by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), an independent advisory organization made up of sub-committees of specialists. COSEWIC can recommend a status for a species or a population (group of related individuals) based on quantitative criteria such as a decline in total population or a low or declining number of breeders.
The status categories used by COSEWIC to designate species, in decreasing order of gravity, are:
Any person may apply to COSEWIC for an assessment of the status of a wildlife species.
For more information: www.cosewic.gc.ca
[Image: Map of Blue Whale Distribution around the Estuary and the Gulf of St. Lawrence]
Every year, blue whales come to the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence to feed, travelling over distances of thousands of kilometres. In search of great concentrations of krill, they arrive as early as March, apparently through the Cabot Strait, travelling along the southwest coast of Newfoundland. Their numbers increase in June, peak in August, and drop off in October. Some whales seem to spend a good part of the winter in the St Lawrence
Canada and Species at Risk
The preservation of species at risk has been a concern for Canadians for many years. In 1992, Canada was the first industrialized country to sign the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. In 1996, the Federal-Provincial Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk in Canada was signed, and, in 2003, the Act respecting the protection of wildlife species at risk in Canada (Species at Risk Act) was promulgated.
Threats to the Blue Whale
Collisions with Vessels
Cetaceans surface to breathe, feed, socialize, rest, and perhaps to ascertain what is happening in the vicinity. Maritime vessel traffic can disrupt these activities, and even injure or kill blue whales. According to data from the Mingan Island Cetacean Study, at least 16% of the blue whales observed in the St. Lawrence have scars from collisions with vessels.
Disturbances Caused by Whale-Watching Activities
Studies conducted by the Group for Research and Education on Marine Mammals (GREMM) in collaboration with Parks Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and the Société de la faune et des parcs du Québec show that the dives of a cousin of the blue whale (the fin whale) are shorter when boats are near, suggesting that they spend less time hunting. If blue whales react in the same manner, this would reduce the quantity of food they catch, affecting their ability to store energy reserves and, eventually, could cause problems regarding migration, reproduction, and immune function.
Climate Change
Climate change could also affect blue whales by causing a change in the distribution or in the abundance of their prey.
Entrapment of Blue Whales in Ice
This natural phenomenon, which can occur in late winter, has been observed off the southwest coast of Newfoundland. It occurs when sea ice pushed by winds accumulates in a bay and prevents blue whales from escaping. Whales subsequently drown under, or are crushed by, the moving ice.
Pollution
Blue whales feed exclusively on krill, an organism at the bottom of the food chain, which contains lower concentrations of persistent organic products than fish. They are therefore less exposed to these contaminants than beluga, that feed on fish. However, females, when nursing, transfer certain contaminants they have accumulated throughout their lives to their young.
Entanglement in Fishing Nets
Some blue whales that become entangled in fishing nets may have difficulty surfacing to breathe and eventually drown. Although this kind of accident is rare among this species, the death of any individual could have a significant impact on the recovery of the population, which is very small.
Current Recovery Actions
A number of protection and conservation uieasures were recently implemented for the St. Lawrence Estuary and Gulf to protect large cetaceans such as the blue whale. Some of these measures concern regulations, others research and yet others outreach efforts. Here are the main ones:
REGULATIONS
Parks Canada established the Regulations Respecting Marine Activities in the Saguenay --St. Lawrence Marine Park with other federal departments, the Quebec government, the scientific community as well as tourism, economic and social stakeholders. They help to better protect whales from disturbances caused by whale-watching activities conducted within the marine park, through the introduction of speed limits, restricted observation periods, and minimal approach distances (400 m for endangered species such as the blue whale). For more information, read the flyer Observation Activities at Sea in the Marine Park.
RESEARCH
Since 1990, Fisheries and Oceans Canada studies on marine mammal health have allowed researchers to document mortality and incidents of beached or injured animals. A provincial network established in 1979 by Memorial University's Whale Research Group and Fisheries and Oceans Canada reports such observations as well as ice entrapments and entanglement events in Newfoundland.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada is also working on a research project with Parks Canada and the GREMM to define the essential habitat of blue whales and to assess the impact of disturbances on the species in the St. Lawrence Estuary. The Fisheries Act, the Oceans Act and the Species at Risk Act can help protect this habitat.
[Image: Whale Watching from a small boat] The minimum distance between a vessel and an endangered species is 400 m
OUTREACH EFFORTS
Whale-watching cruises and pleasure boaters are encouraged to refrain from choosing endangered species as their focus of interest in order to minimize disturbance.
A code of ethics for marine-mammal watching activities was drafted by Fisheries and Oceans Canada in cooperation with the whale-watching industry and the Saguenay— St. Lawrence Marine Park. The code of ethics applies to the entire St. Lawrence Estuary.
Each year, the Marine Park organizes a whale-watching cruise-workshop for boaters and guides, in order to acquaint them with best practices in approaching whales.
Projects intended to reduce disturbance and collisions with vessels were funded under the federal government's Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk. Some examples:
A newsletter, Portraits of whales, is published by the GREMM during the whale-watching season. This document intended for cruise operators and guides describes the research projects that are under way and the action being taken to protect the whales of the St. Lawrence.
[Image:Blue whale tagging]
A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY
A recovery team, formed in 2003, is developing a blue-whale recovery strategy for all of Atlantic Canada, in consultation with various partners. This strategy will enable all stakeholders to identify recovery measures and to see to their implementation.
The GREMM, in collaboration with fishermens' an boaters' associations NGO and Departments, is developing an intervention network to assist marine mammals in distress.
[Image:Whale watching from land] Viewing whales from shore is an excellent way to avoid disturbing them
What You can do to Help
Because we often live near rivers and streams that flow into the habitat of blue whales, we can all make choices that will improve our environment and that of blue whales. By reducing water consumption and the use of pesticides, and by disposing of chemical products (e.g., paint, solvents, fuel) in a responsible manner, we can contribute to the recovery of the largest animal on the planet!
The Species at Risk Act (SARA)
For more information: www.speciesatrisk.gc.ca
Did you know?
The blue whale is the largest animal that has ever inhabitated the world. It is even larger than dinosaurs.
The Marine Mammal Regulations of the Fisheries Act prohibit hunting and harassment of blue whales in the St. Lawrence.
The Oceans Act provides for the creation of marine protected areas to protect a species or its habitat, following consultations with all interested parties.
For More Information:
FONTAINE, Pierre-Henry. Whales of the North Atlantic: Biology and Ecology, Sainte-Foy, Editions Multimondes, 1998, 290 p.
SEARS, R. 2002. <<The Blue Whale >>, Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals, edited by William F. Perrin, Bernd Wursig, J. G. M. Thewissen. San Diego, CA, Academic Press. 1414 p.
SIMARD, Y. and D. LAVOIE. 1999. <<The rich krill aggregation of the Saguenay -St. Lawrence Marine Park: hydroacoustic and geostatistical biomass estimates, structure, variability and significance for whales >>. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 56:1182-1197.
ST. LAWRENCE-SAGUENAY MARINE PARK. Observation Activities at Sea in the Marine Park, Regulations in effect. 2002. Flyer. R63-241/2002E
SEARS, R. and J. Calambokidis. 2002, Status of the Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus) in Canada, Report to the committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in canada, Canadian Wildlife Service, Ottawa. 2002.
SEARS, R. and M. Williamson, F. Wenzel. M. Bérubé, D. Gendron, P. Jones, 1990. Photographic Identification of the Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus) inthe Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada. Rep. Int. Whal. Commn. Special Issue,12: 335-342.
<Image of Blue whale> Blue Whale illustrated by Charles Douglas, reproduced with permission of the Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa Canada
Interesting Sites
www.rorqual.com
www.whalesonline.com
www.portraitsofwhales.net
www.parcscanada.gc.ca/saguenay
www.earthwindow.com/blue.html
To Report Whale Sightings in Newfoundland
1 -888-895-3003
Disponible en francais
ISBN 0-662-33939-8
Fs23-425/2003E
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Maurice Lamontagne Institute
Species at Risk
850; route de la Mer P.O. Box 1000 Mont-Joll (Quebec) G5H 3Z4
Telephone: (418)775-0500
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