By Allison Hanes, Ottawa Citizen, July 13, 2017
Seven dead North Atlantic right whales were found floating in the Gulf of St. Lawrence this summer, a catastrophe for a species with a population of only 525.
Necropsies so far performed on three of the seven indicate two died of blunt force trauma, probably the result of collisions with vessels in the busy shipping lanes, while one died after becoming entangled in fishing gear.
The deaths are a tragedy that could mean the difference between survival and extinction for this critically endangered marine mammal. But whether this kind of news brings you to tears or elicits an indifferent shrug, there are even more compelling reasons to care about the fate of these majestic and rare creatures. What happens to the whales may foretell what happens to our own species, human beings.
http://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/allison-hanes-we-should-all-be-worried-about-biological-annihilation