About Us
Since 1988, the Whitehead Lab northern bottlenose whale research program has collected acoustic, visual, genetic and photographic data focused on the endangered Scotian Shelf population residing in the area of the Gully submarine canyon, a Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the northwest Atlantic. Our long term research program has been acknowledged as contributing information vital to the conservation and management of the Gully MPA and northern bottlenose whales in Canada.
In 2016, we discovered a new area of northern bottlenose whale habitat in a region 250 kms off the coast of Newfoundland. This discovery has significant implications for the two known populations in Nova Scotia and in the Arctic, which are designated as Endangered and Special Concern, respectively, under Canada’s Species at Risk Act. We are now assessing the extent of population connectivity and structure, estimating trends in population size, growth and distribution, and integrating new information on the life history status of the species.
In 2016, we discovered a new area of northern bottlenose whale habitat in a region 250 kms off the coast of Newfoundland. This discovery has significant implications for the two known populations in Nova Scotia and in the Arctic, which are designated as Endangered and Special Concern, respectively, under Canada’s Species at Risk Act. We are now assessing the extent of population connectivity and structure, estimating trends in population size, growth and distribution, and integrating new information on the life history status of the species.
