A lucrative lobster fishing area in the Maritimes is set to reopen this week, after North Atlantic right whale sightings shut down fishing there just weeks into the spring season.
The endangered whales were spotted earlier this month in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, northeast of Prince Edward Island’s Malpeque and Cascumpec Bays.
Their sighting triggered a 15-day closure of popular lobster fishing grounds, including part of Lobster Fishing Area 24.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada says the fishing area is expected to reopen Friday. The ministry specifies, however, that two surveillance flights are necessary before the reopening of the area to fishermen to determine if the whales are still present.
The ministry says a second whale sighting in the coming days would extend the fishing ban for 15 days.
There are about 340 North Atlantic right whales left. Two animal deaths of this species have been reported in U.S. waters this year, a 20-year-old male whale that was struck by a ship, and a baby that showed no signs of a ship strike or damage. entanglement in fishing gear.
Scientists report that 12 right whale calves have been born this year.
The Federal Department of Fisheries says its “dynamic closure system” is intended to protect whales where they are spotted to reduce the risk of them being caught in fishing nets.
If a right whale is detected visually or acoustically, an area of about 2,000 square kilometers is closed to untight fixed gear fishing, including lobster and crab, for 15 days, according to the ministry.
If a right whale is detected again in the same area between days 9 to 15 of the closure, a 15-day extension is imposed. However, in some areas, a second sighting would trigger a season-long closure to fishing.
This has caused confusion among local fishermen over whether the LFA 24 season, which runs from late April to late June, could resume.
The office of Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray said Fisheries and Oceans Canada is not implementing season-long closures in shallow waters because they are considered low-risk areas.
“To clarify the concerns raised regarding possible season-long closures in waters less than 20 fathoms deep, the (department) would like to reiterate that there are no fishing area closures throughout the season in waters less than 20 fathoms, where this current closure is taking place,” the minister’s office said in an emailed statement on Sunday.