Research groups sound alarm after three whales reportedly struck by ships off West Coast

By Rochelle Baker Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Three whales were reportedly struck by vessels in northern B.C. waters over a 10-day period last month, raising West Coast humpback researchers’ concerns over the risk shipping poses to the marine mammals. The first report involved a BC Ferries vessel, the Northern Expedition, colliding with a whale in Wright Sound near Kitimat on July 20, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) confirmed. A second incident on July 21 involved a boat that transports workers to Alcan’s Rio Tinto mine in Kitimat. And a cruise ship struck a whale in Hecate Strait between Haida Gwaii and the B.C. mainland on July 29, DFO said. No other details about the incidents were available from DFO before Canada’s National Observer’s publication deadline. Whale research groups on the B.C….

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