With only 500 north Atlantic right whales known to exist in the world today, Trent University is playing a key role in their survival through understanding important changes in the whales’ habitat use.

Trent University houses the tissue and DNA bank, as well as the genetic database of the north Atlantic right whale for about 80% of the species. Dr. Brad White, professor emeritus of Biology at Trent and full professor in the Environment and Life Sciences program at Trent, says they received 11 samples from autopsies performed on right whales that were found dead in the St. Lawrence estuary earlier this year.

The DNA profiling performed at Trent became part of a 224-page incident report sponsored by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative, and the Marine Animal Response Society. The report was released earlier this month.

“We extracted DNA and developed DNA profiles to be compared with the those in the database,” Professor White explains. Usually only a few north Atlantic right whales are found dead each year as a result of ship strikes and rope entanglements, Prof. White goes on to say. Large numbers of right whales usually use the Bay of Fundy as a feeding area between July and September. During this period few animals are seen in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Recently few animals have been seen in the Bay of Fundy.

“The large number of deaths in the gulf this year are consistent with the suggestion that there is little food available in the Bay of Fundy and the animals are wandering into new habitats looking for food.”

The north Atlantic right whale is one of the most endangered large whales in the world with only 500 individuals remaining in the entire species. On average, they only have 15 calves a year. The change in habitat use has caused a large number of deaths, which moves the species on an extinction trajectory. The earlier population models for species survival did not involve such a major change in habitat use and increase in mortalities. Prof. White said the federal agencies in the U.S. (National Marine Fisheries Service) and Canada (Department of Fisheries and Oceans) are mandated to protect the species under the endangered species legislation. They have mandated shipping to slow down in the gulf and could close or restrict fisheries like the crab and lobster.

Prof. White says the data collected suggests the main food of the whale – a small copepod called calanus – has significantly declined in abundance in the Bay of Fundy.

“This seems to be due to a rise in temperature in the waters of the Atlantic as a result of climate change. This is therefore a combined tragedy in reduction of numbers of animals due to historic activities such as hunting, followed by environmental impacts on climate change on ocean zooplankton which has caused major changes in habitat use of a critically endangered large whale,” explained Prof. White. “This is an example of the importance of interdisciplinary research and study on climate, oceanography, biology and human activities such as shipping and fishing.”