Solar Energy News  
WHALES AHOY
Boat strike likely killed wayward whale that delighted Canadians
by Staff Writers
Sorel, Canada (AFP) June 10, 2020

A young humpback whale found dead in waters near Montreal only days after delighting Canadians likely died this week in a "boat strike," the examining vet said Wednesday.

"The preliminary diagnosis is a suspected boat strike," said Stephane Lair, a University of Montreal veterinarian leading a post-mortem examination of the two- to three-year-old female that weighed 17 tonnes and was 10 meters (30 feet) long.

The ocean giant's breaches against the backdrop of Montreal drew hundreds to the Old Port neighborhood of Canada's second-largest city for a glimpse of the first of this species to swim so far up a Canadian river.

But its carcass was spotted early Tuesday by a passing commercial ship, two days after it was last seen alive.

It was dragged to the shores of the Saint Lawrence river near the town of Sainte-Anne-de-Sorel, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) east of Montreal, and lifted onto shore with the help of a crane.

"The whale shows signs of trauma, that is to say there were hematomas and hemorrhages which strongly suggest that the animal was struck by a boat," said Lair.

A full report is expected to be made public in a month or two.

The analysis, notably of internal organs, will be "fairly limited," however, due to the body's "fairly advanced state of decomposition," Lair said.

"We don't know what happened," said Robert Michaud, of the Quebec Emergency Network for Marine Mammals, an association mandated by the Canadian government to protect cetaceans in the Saint Lawrence seaway.

"We knew it was a healthy animal with no chronic disease problems," he said.

He added that it was not unusual for young whales to explore beyond their usual habitat.

The Montreal visitor was likely led astray while chasing prey, or made a navigation error when it swam 400 kilometers inland.

Lair said he hoped the magnificent animal's visit would be fondly remembered and give rise to more ocean conservation.

He noted that humpback whales were no longer an "endangered" species and that "the population has experienced a fairly significant rebound in recent decades."

"The more humpback whales there are in the wild, the more likely they are to have negative interactions," he said.

"But that may be proof that the population is increasing."


Related Links
Follow the Whaling Debate


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


WHALES AHOY
Whale that won Canadian hearts believed to be dead
Sorel, Canada (AFP) June 10, 2020
A young humpback whale that swam up one of Canada's major rivers, delighting Montrealers who packed the shores for a glimpse of the first of the species in local waters, is believed to have died, wildlife officials said Tuesday. The pilot of a passing commercial ship early in the morning spotted a "whale carcass" near Varennes in the Monteregie region of the Canadian province, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) east of Montreal, Marie-Eve Muller of the Quebec Emergency Network for Marine Mammals (RQUMM) ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

WHALES AHOY
Renewable fuel from carbon dioxide with the aid of solar energy

Human waste could help combat global food insecurity

Bricks made from plastic, organic waste

Chemical recycling makes useful product from waste bioplastic

WHALES AHOY
Robot dog hounds Thai shoppers to keep hands virus-free

Next-generation cockroach-inspired robot is small but mighty

These flexible feet help robots walk faster

Algorithm quickly simulates a roll of loaded dice

WHALES AHOY
US wind plants show relatively low levels of performance decline as they age

Wave, wind and PV: The world's first floating Ocean Hybrid Platform

Supercomputing future wind power rise

Wind energy expansion would have $27 billion economic impact

WHALES AHOY
Southern California's Marengo Charging Plaza officially opens to the public

S. Korea's self-driving upstarts take on tech giants

Volkswagen invests 2 bn euros in Chinese electric vehicle sector

Top German court to rule on VW 'Dieselgate' compensation

WHALES AHOY
Finding balance between green energy storage, harvesting

New material, modeling methods promise advances in energy storage

Spontaneous formation of nanoscale hollow structures could boost battery storage

An unusual choice of material yields incredibly long-lasting batteries

WHALES AHOY
Steel Guard Safety expands product lines for radiation shielding in nuclear power plants

Framatome completes acquisition of BWXT's US commercial nuclear services

Framatome to provide engineering services to EDF in the United Kingdom

EDF submits plans for controversial UK nuclear plant

WHALES AHOY
UK electricity plant nears full switch away from coal

World needs 'green recovery', health pros tell G20 leaders

Global CO2 emissions to drop 4-7% in 2020, but will it matter

New map highlights China's export-driven CO2 emissions

WHALES AHOY
Bolsonaro using virus against indigenous people: leader

Football pitch of rainforest destroyed every six seconds

Trees in forests all over the world are getting younger, shorter

Tropical forests can handle the heat, up to a point









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.