International News

OTTAWA, July 21, (APP/AFP) – Canada cut short its snow crab
fishing season in the Gulf of St Lawrence Friday after a rash of deaths of Right whales caught in fishing gear.
Eight Right whales have been found dead in the Gulf over the past
month, the latest on Tuesday, Fisheries and Ocean Canada said.
The department said it was closing an area of the southern gulf
because of what it described as an unprecedented number of Right whale deaths.
It had previously closed another area in the Gulf, so Friday’s action
effectively cut short the snow crab fishing season, although the department
said 98 percent of the allowable catch had already been harvested.
“This decision was made in an effort to protect North Atlantic Right
whales from risks posed by snow crab fishing gear in the area.
“We understand the impact this could have on fishers,” the
department. “However, the recent whale mortalities in the area are unprecedented and this closure is an important measure to address the situation.”
The Right whale, which can grow to lengths of 59 feet (18 meters,) is
an endangered species with fewer than 500 left in the world, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
About two thirds of the population show signs of entanglement, the
WWF says.
The latest dead whale was being towed to shore by the Canadian Coast
Guard so that a necropsy can be performed to determine the cause of death.
Another Right whale was found later the same day entangled in crab
fishing gear, but no action was taken to save it.
The Coast Guard suspended efforts to untangle whales after a
volunteer rescuer was struck and killed last week while trying to free a snarled Right whale.
“While the entanglement of a whale is an extremely difficult and
distressing situation, our first priority is the safety of those involved in
marine mammal response,” the department said.