2 more dead right whales discovered in Gulf of St. Lawrence

In a series called Deep Trouble, CBC News explores the perils facing the endangered North Atlantic right whale.

Two moredead North Atlantic right whales have been foundin the Gulf of St. Lawrence, says Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

The whales were located near the Acadian Peninsula of New Brunswick and west of the Magdalen Islands, a department news release said Tuesday.

They are the third and fourth confirmed deaths of North Atlantic right whales to be reported in Canadian waters this year.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada is working withmarine mammal response partners to work out the next steps, the release said.

OnTuesday, aveterinarian team from the University of Prince Edward Island wasinPetit tang, N.S., andperformeda necropsyof a whaleknown as Punctuation,nicknamed for the small head scars resemblingdashes and commas.

The femalewas spotted floating dead in the Gulf of St. Lawrence last Wednesday during a Transport Canada surveillance flight.

It is too early to report on preliminary findings from that examination, DFO said.

Another whale's carcass towed to island

On June 4, the carcass of a right whale known as Wolverine was discovered in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

The animal wastowed to Miscou Island, where a necropsy was performed by veterinarians from UPEI and the University of Montreal on June 7.

"These experts reported that there was no evidence of recent fishing gear entanglement or recent vessel strike in their preliminary assessment. Further testing is ongoing to identify other potential causes of death," DFO said.

No right whales died in the Gulf of St. Lawrence last year, but 12 perished the year before.

An estimated 414 right whales remain worldwide.