HALIFAX -- The federal fisheries minister is meeting with fishermen, fishing industry representatives and marine scientists today to talk about measures aimed at protecting endangered North Atlantic right whales.
Jonathan Wilkinson sat down with dozens of stakeholders at a hotel in Dartmouth to discuss restrictions put in place this year to protect the marine mammals against fishing gear entanglements and ship strikes -- their greatest threats.
The measures were introduced after 17 right whales died last year -- 12 of them in Canadian waters -- prompting concerns that the population might be on the fast track toward extinction.
Fishing areas were closed in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, speed limits were reduced for vessels and the Fisheries department increased surveillance of the area to look out for the whales.
Wilkinson told the assembled group that the measures appear to have worked since there were no reported deaths in Canadian waters this spring and summer, but that he was sensitive to the economic impact on the fishing sector.
He told them he wanted to hear how the measures affected their livelihoods as the Fisheries department decides what kind of measures will be put in place for the coming fishing seasons.
