A whale of a cause
There are good reasons why there haven’t been any right whale deaths in waters around the Atlantic provinces this year. It’s called a combination of good luck and good management.
Last year, an alarming number of endangered whales died — 13 in Canadian waters and five more off the U.S. The bodies of another two whales have shown up in American waters this year, while several whale rescues from entanglements were carried out in the Bay of Fundy.
Only about 450 of the whales, including 100 breeding females, remain. Without greater protection, there’s a consensus the species will be functionally extinct in 20 years. Most deaths occur from a combination of collisions with ships, or fishing gear entanglements. Something had to be done.
Last year, Ottawa ordered ships to reduce speed in Atlantic waters to help the slow-moving marine mammals avoid collisions. Fishermen were asked to reduce rope and other gear in the water to lessen the chances of entanglements.
There were immediate warning signs from abroad over the whale deaths, including threats about restrictions on Canadian seafood from the U.S. and Europe unless conservation and safety measures were put in place and proven effective. Since 85 per cent of Canadian lobster exports go to the U.S., the impact would be huge on the East Coast fishery if protection measures didn’t satisfy the Americans.
Ottawa had little choice but to take strong action, with temporary closures of fishing zones this spring wherever a whale was spotted — mostly off northeastern New Brunswick and Gaspe. Lucrative crab and lobster seasons were immediately impacted.
And while fishermen were hesitant at first, most signed on board and took a pro-active role in protecting both the whales and their livelihood. It was a difficult choice — defend the income of thousands of fishermen and plant workers or protect North Atlantic right whales from extinction. In the court of world opinion, fishermen would be the losers.
Government and industry co-operated to achieve the right result despite some bumps along the road. Then-fisheries minister Dominic LeBlanc was under intense pressure from fishermen, plant workers and constituents along the Northumberland Strait to ease restrictions, and the minister deserves credit for sticking to his guns.
Support from fishermen grew quickly. When the spring lobster season wrapped up the end of June in the Gulf, more than 30 fishing boats assisted Fisheries and Oceans and Coast Guard personnel in a two-day sweep of the lobster grounds, looking for missing or forgotten lobster gear — so-called ghost gear — thought to make up 10 per cent of all marine litter.
Fishermen joined the cause because it was the right thing to do, and because they believe that lobster fishing and right whales don’t have to be mutually exclusive — they can peacefully co-exist.
Fishers understand the importance of a balanced and protected ecosystem. This year was a learning curve for all groups in protecting right whales. The ocean is a public resource… a resource all Canadians need to help protect.