Fisheries minister meets with stakeholders to discuss right whale protections
HALIFAX — The federal fisheries minister met with fishermen, industry representatives and marine scientists Tuesday to discuss the impact of restrictions put in place to protect North Atlantic right whales and whether they may be needed for the coming fishing seasons.
Jonathan Wilkinson sat down with dozens of stakeholders at a hotel in Dartmouth to discuss measures introduced earlier this year that were aimed at shielding the marine mammals against fishing gear entanglements and ship strikes — their greatest threats.
Wilkinson told the group that as a result of the initiatives in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, not one whale died this summer from being hit by a ship or getting snarled in fishing line.
But, he said he understood that the extensive fishery closures came with an economic cost to those who make their living from the gulf’s rich fishing grounds.