Canadian Initiatives

Boundaries of North Atlantic right whale SARA Critical Habitat for Roseway Basin. Image source: DFO

Since rerouting shipping lanes in the Bay of Fundy was identified as a conservation success, other waters vulnerable to the whale-ship conflict have been adopting similar strategies. In Canada, the Roseway Basin, similar to the Bay of Fundy, prohibits ship activity in critical right whale habitat – as mandated by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

US Initiatives

In the US, Cape Cod, Boston, and Florida have mimicked the Bay of Fundy’s solution, remembering that every individual saved by this initiative is crucial to the recovery of the right whale! Furthermore, they have a mandatory ship reporting system in place requiring ships over 300 tons to report to the coast guard when entering critical habitat.

A male and female right whale mating. Image source: North Atlantic Right Whale.