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Endangered Right Whales Could Wait Almost a Decade for New US Protections
DFO issued a notice of vigilance as the whale was identified as Goldfish, one of about 380 North Atlantic right whales left.
- On Monday, July 20, 2026, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans confirmed a North Atlantic right whale sighting off Bay de Verde, Newfoundland, identifying the animal as Goldfish, previously tracked in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
- Local resident Kristinn Skulason captured video of the whale swimming near his office window, telling CBC Radio's The Broadcast the encounter was "unusual" and prompting him to share the footage widely.
- Brett Gilchrist, a director of national programs with DFO in Ottawa, confirmed the whale appeared healthy and was likely searching for food, adding, "In and around where this whale was spotted, there is no specific expectation that they're aggregating in large numbers."
- While DFO mandates 15-day closures for fisheries management areas where whales congregate, Gilchrist explained that rare sightings are handled case-by-case, leading the department to issue a "notice of vigilance" instead of a closure.
- There are only about 380 North Atlantic right whales remaining globally, and the House Natural Resources Committee voted on July 15 to extend a moratorium on new protection rules to 2035, pending a vote by the Republican-controlled Congress.
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14 Articles
Endangered right whales could wait almost a decade for new U.S. protections
New protections for endangered right whales in the North Atlantic would be postponed for nearly a decade under a plan that cleared a key hurdle in Washington last week with the full-throated support of the fishing and lobster industries.
·Washington, United States
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Goldfish the North Atlantic right whale spotted outside Bay de Verde office window
There are only about 380 North Atlantic right whales in the world and earlier this month, Kristinn Skulason was able to see one just out his office window in Bay de Verde, a town in Newfoundland’s Conception Bay.
·Ottawa, Canada
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Total News Sources14
Leaning Left8Leaning Right1Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution57% Left
Bias Distribution
- 57% of the sources lean Left
57% Left
L 57%
C 36%
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