Dogbreath
Well-Known Member
A harbinger of things to come in other places?
Canada closes fishing grounds to protect right whales
OTTAWA, Ontario — An area of the Gulf of St. Lawrence was closed to snow crab fishing Thursday after an eighth North Atlantic right whale was found dead Wednesday.
Of the eight whales found floating in the gulf since early June, at least half have been identified as also having fed in southern New England waters, including Cape Cod Bay, according to the New England Aquarium.
Snow crab fishing gear poses a risk to the rare whales, according to Fisheries and Oceans Canada, which oversees the conservation and sustainable use of the nation’s oceans and inland waters.
Fishing gear entanglement and ship strikes are primary threats to the right whales, the population of which was at 524 in 2015 and is believed to be in decline, according to researchers.
About 98 percent of the total allowable catch for snow crab in Area 12 of the Gulf of St. Lawrence had already been harvested at the time of the closure, the government agency said in a statement.
Canada closes fishing grounds to protect right whales
OTTAWA, Ontario — An area of the Gulf of St. Lawrence was closed to snow crab fishing Thursday after an eighth North Atlantic right whale was found dead Wednesday.
Of the eight whales found floating in the gulf since early June, at least half have been identified as also having fed in southern New England waters, including Cape Cod Bay, according to the New England Aquarium.
Snow crab fishing gear poses a risk to the rare whales, according to Fisheries and Oceans Canada, which oversees the conservation and sustainable use of the nation’s oceans and inland waters.
Fishing gear entanglement and ship strikes are primary threats to the right whales, the population of which was at 524 in 2015 and is believed to be in decline, according to researchers.
About 98 percent of the total allowable catch for snow crab in Area 12 of the Gulf of St. Lawrence had already been harvested at the time of the closure, the government agency said in a statement.
