Fishing-gear entanglements are the leading cause of death for the endangered whales. But new ropeless gear could change that
In Canada, officials are taking these threats seriously, says Moira Brown, a whale researcher with the Canadian Whale Institute in Campobello Island, N.B. “Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Transport Canada, man, they sat up and took notice. Once the numbers started piling up, a huge slowdown for ships was put in place, fisheries were shut down early or not allowed to open.
But with fishing-gear entanglements as the leading cause of death for the imperilled whales, Canada must ramp up efforts to make best practice more common, says Kim Elmslie, the campaign director for the ocean-based charity, Oceana Canada. Moving to on-demand gear is even more popant as the U.S. – Canada’s top buyer of snow crab and Atlantic lobster, which are also Canada’s highest-earning seafood exports – undertakes its review of imported seafood. The aim is to ensure the countries it imports from are relying on fishing practices that are in keeping with U.S. federal marine mammal protections.
Adam Burns, the acting assistant deputy minister of fisheries and harbour management at Fisheries and Oceans Canada, said measures in this country to protect North Atlantic right whales are “world-class.”
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