Marine Atlantic ferries are on watch for endangered right whales

Marine Atlantic is getting ready to take action if a significant number of endangered right whales are spotted in the Cabot Strait.

Spokesperson Darrell Mercer said Marine Atlantic has received confirmation that the right whales have left their wintering area off the coast ofCape Cod,Mass.,and are expected to move through the Cabot Strait to the Gulf of St. Lawrence over the next few weeks.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans saidTuesday a right whale was spotted off the coast of eastern Cape Breton during an aerial survey.

Marine Atlantic'sdirector of fleet operations met with staff from Transport Canada and DFO Tuesday.

"They've advised us that, as the Cabot Strait is more of a transit zone for the whales, they are more or less moving to their feeding grounds," saidMercer. "At this stage,we have been told to exercise caution, and of coursewe have people on watch constantly trying to see if there are any whales in the area.

"If we see any right whales we report those immediately to the federal government so that they may take additionalmeasures," he said.

Those measures could include reducing the speed of Marine Atlantic ferries to 10 knotsfrom the normal 14 to 16 knots. If that happens, customers willbe warned about the slower crossing timeand the impact on schedules, said Mercer.

"If we need to move in that direction to protect the whales, we will certainly do that."

In the last year, at least 18 North Atlantic right whales have been found dead off the coast of the U.S. and Canada. Scientists believe human activity, including shipping and fishing, arethe primary cause of the deaths.