Bailey Lab
Photo credit: Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF), February 2022
The NARW is the world's most endangered large whale with fewer than 400 individuals remaining. Despite decades of conservation efforts, the species has not recovered
About the
Right Whale Project
The North Atlantic Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis) is an endangered, large baleen whale characterized by a dark body and the absence of a dorsal fin. The primary causes of North Atlantic Right Whale (NARW) mortality are fishing gear entanglements and vessel strikes, posing challenges to the species’ recovery, with population decline having occurred due to historical whaling activities. Over 80% of NARW have scars from entanglements in Eastern Canadian waters. Increased stress, particularly from entanglement, is a contributing factor to a decline in longevity and decreased frequency of calving. Currently, the NARW population is about 360, with fewer than 70 females actively reproducing.
The overall aim of the Genome Atlantic right whale project is to use genomics and its ethical, environmental, economic, legal and social aspects (GE3LS) data to enhance the effective and efficient conservation of the endangered NARW. The Social Science team at Dalhousie University led by Dr. Megan Bailey supports the GE3LS project objectives through an interdisciplinary approach. Specifically, the team uses the interactive governance model to study how to improve the governability of the NARW conservation system through the following research questions:
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What are the current governability of the system and its challenges, using stakeholder mapping and case studies (e.g., Canadian fisheries, Maine lobster, Moe)?
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What communication strategies emerge from the governability assessment?
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What might a rights-based conservation approach look like?
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What is the conservation burden for the African Nova Scotian community?
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There are three students involved in the research: Grace Akinrinola (PhD), Ojas Gitai (Masters) and Kevin Allan (Masters).​​