Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
The Bay of Fundy and Gulf of Maine are critical feeding grounds for the rare North Atlantic right whale (top) as well
as home to the more common harbor seal (bottom).
The Bay of Fundy may always have been a natural refuge for the species. Historically, the frequent fogs and
the treacherous tidal currents discouraged whaling in the bay during the industry's heyday. Certainly, the bay
will play a vital role in the right whale's precarious future. Cows with calves show a marked preference for the
bay over other areas, such as the Great South Channel and Scotian Shelf, even though they also offer a rich
copepod diet. There may be two other reasons for this: Fundy is well protected from storms, and it enjoys a re-
lative lack of predators such as the killer whale, both threats to vulnerable calves.
