(Courtesy of Department of Fisheries and Oceans)

First Reported Sighting Of Dead North Atlantic Right Whale For 2019

Tara Clow June 5, 2019 6:57 am Last Updated on February 7, 2026 1:26 pm

Fisheries and Oceans Canada is reporting a sighting of a dead North Atlantic Right Whale drifting in the Gulf of St Lawrence.

The whale was spotted during a surveillance flight yesterday.

DFO is currently working with the Marine Animal Response Society, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and other organizations, in an attempt to recover it.

We have received a report of a dead #rightwhale drifting in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. We are working with Marine Animal Response Society, @GREMM_ and @NOAA to find the whale and try to recover it. More info to come. pic.twitter.com/uxIV5a5yt5

— Fisheries and Oceans (@FishOceansCAN) June 5, 2019

If it is located, DFO would attempt to install a satellite tag on the whale so they can continue to track it.

Last year, no deaths were reported and this is the first for 2019.

At least 12 North Atlantic Right Whales were found dead in Canadian waters in 2017.

Author

Tara Clow

Tara Clow is a multi-award-winning news anchor and reporter with more than 30 years of experience at radio stations across Canada. She is a graduate of the Radio and TV Arts program at Toronto Metropolitan University and the Humber College radio broadcasting program. She is based in Moncton and covers stories across Canada. Contact Tara at clow.tara@radioabl.ca.