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By Andrew Rankin The Valley Today Posted: Friday, November 17, 2006 3:00 PM EST PHOTO: A humpback whale dives off Brier Island. (Parker) [ANOTHER PHOTO (Parker) on p. 1 today shows a breaching humpback whale, but the caption mentions the lingering right whales in the Bay of Fundy.] DIGBY - A fisherman and whale-watcher here says he has the answer to the question thatıs stumping the experts -- why at least two dozen right whales are still in the Bay of Fundy. ³Thereıs not enough food,² said Harold Theriault, a lobster fisherman for more than 35 years who owns Petit Passage Whale Watch. For the last 12 years, Theriault, also the Liberal MLA for Digby-Annapolis, has operated a whale-watching business with his wife and three sons. The family business covers the Digby Neck, Georgeıs Bank and Brownıs Bank areas in search of the endangered right whales of which only about 350 still exist. One of the right whalesı food sources is krill, a reddish, shrimp-like invertebrate. Theriault says the organism has become extremely scarce in the Digby Neck area. ³It used to be a few years ago that you would see the krill all over the surface of the water,² he said. ³It would gather all over the bottom of the boat. Now, if you go out, you can barely see it. Itıs as though itıs gone. ³What used to be normal was to see 125 to 130 whales a season. Now, weıre lucky to see half that.² The presence of the whales has forced the federal Fisheries and Oceans department to delay the start of the lobster fishery in New Brunswick. Since the lobster season in Digby doesnıt start for another week, and experts expect the whales to move south by then, the season shouldnıt be directly affected. But Theriault believes the seemingly dwindling numbers of the right whale and its food source in the region should concern everyone. He thinks the department of fisheries and oceans should do an intensive study to find out why the right whaleıs food stocks have been depleted and seek ways in which they can be brought back to acceptable levels. Heıs convinced the right whales remaining in the Bay of Fundy are making a last ditch effort to fatten up before migrating south for the winter. ³I donıt think theyıre gluttonous mammals. Theyıre there trying to build up 18 inches of fat, and they wonıt migrate south until that happens.² Christopher Taggart is a fisheries oceanography professor at Dalhousie University and an expert on right whales. He said it is extremely rare to see whales in the Bay of Fundy at this time of year; he could cite fewer than 10 documented cases. But Taggart would not say the whales are staying to continue feeding. Taggart says typically 20 to 100 right whales congregate in the Grand Manan Basin, which includes waters off the coast of Digby, in July, August, and September. There, they feed off a particular plankton, copepod Calanus finmarchicus, rich in fat, and found between 120 and 180 metres below the surface. The whales quickly accumulate the fat they need for their migration. They also feed on surface plankton. Taggart said no research supports Theriaultıs food shortage hypothesis, but the professor called the question intriguing. ³There is no evidence yet that suggests anything about the quality or quantity of the copepod Calanus finmarchicus or the krill,² he said. ³But he is asking a very good question.² Taggart says many factors influence the right whalesı migration pattern including light, temperature, and food. Theriault is convinced the right whales are facing serious food shortages and says that something has to be done to ensure the species doesnıt die out completely. ³Theyıre not getting enough food. Itıs as simple as that,² he said. ³Thatıs the real question. Where is their food going?² -----------------
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