Commercial Fisheries and Right Whales

June 2017, Gulf of St. Lawrence. Government of Canada aircraft, or government‑commissioned aircraft, regularly patrol North Atlantic right whales. For several days, this species at risk, which rarely visits this area, has been observed in quantities that have never been seen before. The Department very quickly implemented emergency measures to reduce the risks of interactions between fishing activities and marine transportation. The closure of the snow crab fishery was moved up in certain areas, caution notices were sent to industry, and additional standards for monitoring fishing gear were imposed. At the end of the summer, it was estimated that more than 100 individuals, or about a quarter of the global population, were counted in the Gulf.

Despite all these measures, the toll was significant. Twelve individuals, two of whom were entangled in fishing gear, were found deceased, adrift. Even though the majority of the recognized mortalities in the Gulf of St. Lawrence cannot be attributed to fishing activities, it is acknowledged that entanglement in fishing gear is one of the greatest threats to the right whale population. A scientific study in 2012 has already shown that 83% of right whales bore scars caused by fishing gear.

Extensive industry consultation

This is why, in the fall of 2017, the Department launched extensive consultations with the industry to minimize the number of right whales killed or injured by fishing gear. Industry representatives submitted several proposals, including changes to fishing gear configurations, changes to fishery opening dates, as well as dynamic management of fishing activities. The Department analyzed the effectiveness, feasibility and economic impact of various measures over the winter and presented these to industry last spring.

For the 2018 fishing season, the Department introduced several additional management measures to prevent incidents involving right whales. Fishers who use “fixed” gear, such as gillnets, traps or longlines, have had to modify their ropes to keep them from floating on the surface of the water. These ropes have been shown to be a major risk for right whales, which feed by filtering the surface of the water. In some cases, maximum authorized rope distances to connect two buoys were also introduced. Lastly, by 2019, a number of fleets will be required to identify their ropes using colour markings specific to their fishing area. This measure, implemented in the United States in 1997, helps identify problem areas where whales can become entangled.

Additional measures for the mandatory reporting of lost fishing gear and the reporting of any interactions with a marine mammal have also been implemented. On one hand, these measures make it possible to compile additional information to assess the risks of interaction between fisheries and marine mammals, and on the other hand, comply with the new requirements under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), in order to guarantee access to Canadian seafood products on the U.S. market.

Lastly, a dynamic fisheries management protocol has been developed to allow for the temporary closure of specific areas when right whale sightings have been confirmed. To do this, an aerial monitoring plan was established, bringing together scientists from Fisheries and Oceans Canada, fishery officers, Transport Canada, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) agency, and many other scientific collaborators. Through this increased monitoring, the Department is able to precisely locate the right whales and document, on a daily basis, the evolution of their movements in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Thus, it can make informed decisions before proceeding with fishing area closures.

Antoine Rivierre
Fisheries Management