To keep eyes on North Atlantic right whales, scientists must first tackle perennial issues of plane safety

// custom header art window.tgam.meta.photo_desktop = "https://www.theglobeandmail.com/resizer/v2/BK6BVFDTIJBV7IJ2L6CXNZSQBU.jpg?auth=9adeeb1a4600ab8d913f1c00099913aec1eed0f4ead79beda0d7ad5bdbc3991d&width=1920&quality=80"; window.tgam.meta.photo_mobile = "https://www.theglobeandmail.com/resizer/v2/BK6BVFDTIJBV7IJ2L6CXNZSQBU.jpg?auth=9adeeb1a4600ab8d913f1c00099913aec1eed0f4ead79beda0d7ad5bdbc3991d&width=1200&quality=80"; window.tgam.meta.video = ""; window.tgam.meta.caption = "Aerial survey planes in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, like this Twin Otter on patrol in 2018, help Fisheries and Oceans Canada follow the marine mammals that come here in warmer seasons. But DFO recently paused its scientific aerial surveys after a fatal crash in Newfoundland."; window.tgam.meta.credit = "Nick Hawkins"; // custom header layout parameters window.tgam.meta.headline_overlay = true; window.tgam.meta.headline_overlay_vertical_position = "bottom"; // top, centre, bottom window.tgam.meta.headline_overlay_horizontal_position = "left"; // left, centre, right window.tgam.meta.headline_overlay_gradient = true; window.tgam.meta.two_column = false; window.tgam.meta.swap_column = false; window.tgam.meta.full_width = false; window.tgam.meta.dark_background = false; window.tgam.meta.dark_background_colour = ""; window.tgam.meta.centre_headline = false; window.tgam.meta.large_headline = true; window.tgam.meta.sans_headline = false; window.tgam.meta.label_text_colour = ""; window.tgam.meta.label_box_colour = ""; window.tgam.meta.label_text_colour_overlay = "" ; window.tgam.meta.label_box_colour_overlay = ""; window.tgam.meta.audio_bar = true; // custom header display overrides (optional): window.tgam.meta.display_head = "Skies of danger, seas of trouble"; window.tgam.meta.display_deck = "To keep eyes on North Atlantic right whales, scientists must first tackle perennial problems of plane safety"; window.tgam.meta.label = "Entangled"; window.tgam.meta.byline = "Jenn Thornhill Verma"; window.tgam.meta.byline2 = ""; window.tgam.meta.creditline = "The Globe and Mail"; Each spring and summer, North Atlantic right whales migrate from U.S. waters to the rich feeding grounds of eastern Canada, where many remain until late fall and even into early winter. Their deaths have outnumbered their births in recent years, and so to protect this critically endangered species, marine biologists monitor them through various methods. Scientific aerial surveys are particularly crucial, covering vast ocean areas efficiently.