Achi news desk-
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has updated its restricted fishing area off the coast of New Brunswick’s Acadian Peninsula due to the presence of an endangered North Atlantic right whale.
DFO says it began temporarily closing a fishing area for 15 days in Lobster Fishing Area (LFA) 23 C on May 17 after a right whale was spotted in shallow waters east of Miscou Island.
“We fully recognize that temporarily closing an area at the height of fishing season is a significant blow to our coastal communities and has a consequential effect on harvesters in the region. We want to work with harvesters on how we can mitigate the impacts,” reads a Thursday statement from the Canadian Department of Fisheries, Oceans and Coast Guard – Gulf Region.
“Our adaptive measures to protect North Atlantic right whales are challenging for harvesters, however it is important to note that they are meant to prevent excrement and help the species recover.”
DFO says it has given advance notice that the closure would be implemented starting at 5 pm on Wednesday.
“The intention of this announcement is to give harvesters enough time to collect their fishing gear. DFO has extended the time to remove their gear from 48 to 96 hours,” the statement read.
On Wednesday, a notice was also posted to the DFO website saying that a number of temporary closures in the Gulf of St. Lawrence have been put into “seasonally prohibited fishing status” until November 15.
The notice says the change is a result of the “repeated detection within days nine to fifteen of a 15-day dynamic fishing ban period.”
Fishermen affected by closure
The Maritime Fishermen’s Union held a meeting on Wednesday evening in Sainte-Marie-Saint-Raphaël to discuss the closure with affected fishermen.
“It was decided by mutual agreement that the fishermen would stay at the dock tomorrow. Negotiations are still going on at a political level,” read a message shared with union members.
The message adds that another meeting will be held on Thursday to decide on the next steps for Friday.
The union’s director of communications, Pascale Paulin, says representatives will not hold interviews until they receive news from DFO.
“Communications and comments will be made sometime tomorrow,” he said in an email on Wednesday evening.
With files from Sarah Plowman on CTV.
