09/06/2026
🐋🌊 A very special visitor has been spotted in Conception Bay!
A critically endangered North Atlantic right whale has been seen in Conception Bay South — an incredibly rare and exciting sighting. 💙
Just another reminder of how incredible the waters surrounding Newfoundland truly are.
👇 More information in the post below!
There’s been a North Atlantic right whale sighting in Conception Bay South, Newfoundland and Labrador!
The North Atlantic right whale is one of the world’s most endangered large whale species with an estimated 384 individuals remaining. This baleen whale has a large black body with no dorsal fins and a broad, deeply notched fluke. Their heads have white patches of rough skin called callosities, which are unique to each whale.
Spotting a North Atlantic right whale is exciting, but it’s important to remember that we must keep our distance and not disturb them!
In Canada you are required to keep 100 m away from whales, dolphins, and porpoises, or 200 m away if they are resting or with a calf. It's against the law to disturb a marine mammal. You cannot:
- feed, swim or interact with a marine mammal
- move a marine mammal (or entice/cause it to move)
- separate a marine mammal from its group or go between it and a calf
- trap a marine mammal or a group between a vessel and the shore, or between a vessel and other vessels
- tag or mark a marine mammal
If you see a NARW, report it as soon as possible to Fisheries and Oceans Canada by emailing [email protected]. Make sure to include the GPS location, date and time of sighting, number of whales observed, behaviour (for example: feeding, travelling, diving), description of animal, highlighting unique markings or features, and photos or videos of the animal if possible.
*Image from World Wildlife Fund Canada (WWF)
