Canadian North Atlantic right whale recovery planAlong with its North Pacific cousin, the North Atlantic right whale population is the most endangered great whale population in the world. There are only approximately 300 representatives of this species left. Decimated by over-hunting, they are having a hard time recovering from past abuses. Collisions with cargo ships, accidental entanglement in fishing gear and pollution are the main threats to their recovery. As well as these human related problems, researchers suspect a drop in zooplankton abundance in Cape Cod Bay had negative effects on the reproductive success of right whales between 1998 and 2000. Consanguinity may also be a problem. A team of specialists, headed by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and World Wildlife Fund Canada, has established a list of strategies required to facilitate the recovery of this species. The five proposed strategies:
On September 15, 2000, the same day that the Canadian North Atlantic right whale recovery plan was presented, the team that will be in charge of implementing it held its first meeting. The team for the recovery of the right whale includes representatives from the Canadian government and non-governmental organizations, scientific experts, as well as representatives of the fishing, shipping, and tourism ("whale-watching") industries. The Canadian government has committed $ 550 000 in 2000-2001 for the recovery of the right whale. The American plan for the recovery of the right whale was tabled in 1991. An update of this plan should be approved over the course of 2001.
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