Tougher Prevention Measures to Protect North Atlantic Right Whales

Since June 29, three right whales have been spotted entangled in fishing rope, placing them in a vulnerable situation. Since then, the Campobello Whale Rescue Team, which specializes in right whale disentanglements, has been on the alert. But in the vast expanse of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, finding an entangled but freely swimming right whale is extremely difficult. Aerial surveillance flights have increased from twice weekly to twice daily. One of the three whales was spotted again on July 9, but it was already too late in the day to place a radio tag on the rope that it was dragging. With a tag, its movements could be tracked, making it easier to locate the animal and intervene.

In a message to the media, Fisheries and Oceans Canada states that it is encouraged by aerial surveillance conducted on July 9, during which a total of 90 North Atlantic right whales were observed swimming freely in the Gulf. These right whales were mostly in the static fishing closure area, where since late April no stationary, unattended gear – i.e. equipment left by fishermen for a few hours to a few days before being removed – can be deployed.

Not only do these measures meet the survival requirements for the species, they are also compatible with economic imperatives related to seafood exports to the United States, the main market for eastern Canada. In 2017, such exports were valued at $4.3 billion. However, the United States has passed the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which stipulates that all countries exporting seafood products to the US must prove that they have marine mammal protection measures comparable to their own. By the end of July, Canada must submit an initial report on its efforts to mitigate the impacts of its fisheries on marine mammals. The legislation will come into effect on January 1, 2022, and if the US considers that Canada has not taken ample action, the country could lose its main market for lobster and snow crab.

Current regulations governing Canadian fisheries may seem extremely restrictive for fishermen, but they make the country one of the best performers in terms of the number of certified sustainable fisheries. Today’s measures to protect right whales are a step in this direction.

To learn more

News release announcing new measures (Government of Canada, July 8, 2019)

On the entanglements: an 86-minute presentation given by expert Amy Knowlton of the New England Aquarium and two fishermen (WGBHForum, August 6, 2018)