Advertisement

Expert team conducts necropsy on endangered dead whale near Miscou Island

Photos of the whale taken today by Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard. HO-Department of Fisheries and Oceans

A dead North Atlantic right whale has successfully been towed by the Canadian Coast Guard vessel CCGS A. LeBlanc toward Miscou Island, N.B., on Friday.

The whale, identified as Wolverine, has been brought ashore where an expert team from six different departments and organizations, including Atlantic Veterinary College and Fisheries and Oceans Canada, has been assembled with the necropsy still underway.

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.

Get breaking National news

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

The team hopes the necropsy will help them determine cause of death. Once that’s done, the plan is to bury the carcass on the beach, according to a statement from Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard.

READ MORE: Endangered dead right whale known as ‘Wolverine’ reported drifting in Gulf of St. Lawrence

Wolverine was first sighted by researchers at New England Aquarium in 2010, and listed in the aquarium’s right whale catalog.

Story continues below advertisement

According to the aquarium, with a population estimated at around 411, the endangered North Atlantic right whale has historically struggled due to lethal vessel strikes and entanglements throughout their range, but now the effects of climate change also put the whales further at risk.

Sponsored content

AdChoices