Fishing zones closed after North Atlantic right whale sightings
Nine grids in the Gulf of St. Lawrence are affected by the closure
A number of fishing zones in the Gulf of St. Lawrence have been closed after two North Atlantic right whales were sighted off Miscou Island Sunday.
The closures of the nine grids were effective Friday at 5 p.m.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada had allowed a 96-hour delay of the grid closures due to the weather forecast. All of the gear affected had to be removed from the closed area before the time of closure.
All gear from any fishing season that was open at the time of the closure had to be removed including snow crab, toad crab, rock crab, lobster, whelk, Greenland halibut (fixed gear) and winter flounder (fixed gear).
The closures would also be in effect for Atlantic halibut (fixed gear), mackerel (gillnet) and herring (gillnet) when gear is left unattended.
A Fisheries and Oceans Canada aerial surveillance crew had spotted the animals swimming in the middle of the gulf, more than 100 kilometres northeast of Miscou Island. A Dalhousie University whale-tracking map shows the most recent detections.
Researchers try to keep a close eye on the movements of the critically endangered species, in part to help inform government-imposed protective measures.
This is the first season with new protections in place that Ottawa announced in late February. Those protections were in addition to existing measures such as vessel speed limits and changes to the fishing season calendar.
New rules
Temporary fishing closures will also expand further into the Bay of Fundy.
The government also introduced special restricted areas that vessels will have to either avoid completely or in which their speed must be reduced to eight knots.
Fisheries are also required to mark their gear to identify the country, region and fishery it was used in, in an effort to help trace the gear after an entanglement.
With files from Colin McPhail