Which bay in Canada is a critical habitat for the North Atlantic right whale?
Answer
Bay of Fundy
The Bay of Fundy in Canada is a critical habitat for the North Atlantic right whale.
The whales gather in the bay during summer and autumn to feed, socialize, and nurse calves. Its productive waters support dense concentrations of copepods, the tiny plankton that right whales filter from the sea with their baleen plates.
The Bay of Fundy is also a busy shipping route, creating a serious collision risk for whales. In 2003, Canada adjusted shipping lanes through important feeding areas to reduce that danger. Scientists now also monitor nearby areas such as Grand Manan Basin and Roseway Basin, which are specifically recognized in Canadian recovery planning.
A common mix-up is confusing the Bay of Fundy with the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Both are important Canadian waters for right whales, but the Bay of Fundy is the classic feeding ground associated with this question.