DFO Implements Seventh Fishing Area Closure of June 2018
June 25, 2018

Source: DFO closes another fishing area in northern New Brunswick after right whale sighting - CBC

The DFO has closed another area in New Brunswick and ordered all gear to be out of the water by 3 pm on Tuesday, June 26th due to sightings of North Atlantic right whales in the area. We strongly support the closure of these areas to fishing as the continued presence of dangerous rope in the Gulf of St. Lawrence represents too great a threat to these whales. So far, 75 North Atlantic right whales have been spotted in the region, representing nearly 20% of their entire population of around 430. These whales feed on high concentrations of copepods and it is believed that the main reason they are in the Gulf of St. Lawrence is because they have found such concentrations there. We believe that the government of Canada should plan for these whales to be in the Gulf of St. Lawrence for years to come. If they return in higher numbers, the same numbers or even if just a few feed there in the future, there needs to be protections in place for them.

The Maritime Fisheries Union and their members remain angry that these areas are being closed and the president of the union stated, "Every time we get an email with notice to harvesters, alerting us to another closure, it's like those few seconds that it takes to load the map up to see where the closure is, are like the longest few seconds in your life some days." We believe that the average of six months that it takes for a North Atlantic right whale to die from an entanglement is probably the longest six months of their lives and the few seconds of opening an email pales in comparison. We do remain supportive of efforts to provide compensation and alternative forms of work for fishermen though. For example, we support the creation of crews focused on removing derelict traps and other marine debris with fishermen getting first priority when it comes to hiring. It enables them to provide for their families, reduces the anger and conflict with regards to fishing area closures and provides a good service in removing man-made objects from the ocean that can harm many species, North Atlantic right whales very much included.