Management Plans

Management Plan for the Sowerby's Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon bidens) in Canada

The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) assessed the Sowerby’s Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon bidens) as Special Concern in 2006. In 2011, the Sowerby’s Beaked Whale was listed as Special Concern under the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA).

The Sowerby’s Beaked Whale is endemic to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its distribution within Canadian waters is thought to include the offshore waters along the continental slope and within submarine canyons off of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador. The Sowerby’s Beaked Whale is difficult to observe and identify at sea due to its relatively small size and cryptic surface behaviour. As a result, little is known about specific habitat use, social structure, and population dynamics.

Consultation period: 2016-06-09 to 2016-08-08