Entangled North Atlantic right whale Snow Cone spotted off New Brunswick, says DFO

An entangled North Atlantic right whale nicknamed Snow Cone has been spotted off the coast of New Brunswick, but scientists say there's no sign of her calf. (Source: Canadian Whale Institute and the New England Aquarium)

OTTAWA -

An entangled North Atlantic right whale nicknamed Snow Cone has been spotted off the coast of New Brunswick, but scientists say there's no sign of her calf.

The federal Fisheries Department says the sighting occurred on Saturday morning in the Gulf of St. Lawrence between northern New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.

Officials said in a news release today that Snow Cone is still entangled in fishing gear, and that her calf born at the end of last year was not seen with her.

Only about 336 North Atlantic right whales remain in the world, and breeding females are tracked closely by scientists.

Snow Cone was last seen on April 27 off Cape Cod in Massachusetts, and she was first observed to be caught in fishing gear in March of 2021.

The Fisheries Department says she was last seen in Canadian waters on Aug. 4, 2021, by research crews in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 26, 2022.