Are Right Whales Impacting Consumer Lobster Purchases?
As a few innovative Nova Scotia companies forge ahead with efforts to develop new ropeless fishing technologies, the presence of right whales continues to be a concern for area lobster fishermen and the industry in general.
While the majority of Atlantic right whale sightings in Canadian waters and subsequent fishing closures have taken place to the north in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, lobster fishermen are still worried about an upsurge in the lobbying effort to further protect the endangered ...
Fishermen and Right Whales in the Gulf of St. Lawrence
Above: Some of the ropeless technology being tested during seas trials.
Ropeless Traps Starting this Year
In the coming weeks, the 400 or so remaining North Atlantic right whales (NARW) will gradually arrive in our waters, under the watchful eye of several organizations, ENGOs, scientists and governments.
The reason for all this interest is the risk of entanglement that may be posed by the fixed fishing gear used to catch crab and lobster. Protecting right whales from the ...
Promising Leads to Countering Right Whale Entanglements
A northern New Brunswick engineering consulting firm, that has been working in collaboration with snow crab fishermen on the Acadian Peninsula on ways to reduce right whale gear entanglement, has come up with some promising leads, says its president.
Caraquet-based Corbo Engineering first began tackling the issue in January 2018 with funding from the Atlantic Fisheries Fund (AFF) after being approached by the snow crab fishermen associations in the area.
“They were caught off guard with ...
DFO Announces New Gulf Crab Fishing Regulations
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans recently announced new fishery management measures for gear configuration for the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence snow crab fishery that will reduce risks to endangered North Atlantic right whales and help ensure their survival.
These new fishery measures take into account feedback that was shared at the Ministerial Roundtable on North Atlantic Right Whales hosted by DFO Minister Dominic LeBlanc in Moncton, New Brunswick on November 9, 2017.
The ...
Gulf Snow Crab Fishery Closed to Protect North Atlantic Right Whales
On July 20, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) announced the closure of Snow Crab Fishing Area 12 in the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence.
This decision was made in an effort to protect North Atlantic Right whales from risks posed by snow crab fishing gear in the area.
As of July 20, 98 per cent of the total allowable catch for snow crab in Area 12 has already been harvested. “We understand the impact this could have on fishers. However, the recent whale mortalities in the area are unprec...
Are Right Whales Impacting Consumer Lobster Purchases?
As a few innovative Nova Scotia companies forge ahead with efforts to develop new ropeless fishing technologies, the presence of right whales continues to be a concern for area lobster fishermen and the industry in general. While the majority of Atlantic right whale sightings in Canadian waters and subsequent fishing closures have taken place to the north in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, lobster fishermen are still worried about an upsurge in the lobbying effort to further protect the endangered ...