Question Period Note: North Atlantic Right Whale

North Atlantic Right Whale

On May 3, the first right whale of the 2022 season was detected in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and triggered a 15-day closure to fixed gear fisheries in the area.

As in previous years, temporary and season-long area closures to fisheries will be applied where and when right whales are detected and aggregating to prevent entanglements. These measures are supported by our comprehensive visual and acoustic whale surveillance program.

Our world-class adaptive right whale measures, which incorporate the best available science, were developed through close collaboration with the fishing industry, Indigenous communities and leading right whale scientists to protect and rebuild the right whale population while upholding Canada’s reputation for sustainably-sourced seafood.

• The first North Atlantic right whale of 2022 was detected on May 3. The single right whale was sighted by surveillance aircraft in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, north of the Magdalen Islands. The detection triggered a 15-day fishing closure in crab fishing area 12.
• In February 2022, the Minister announced the 2022 NARW fisheries management measures. DFO’s measures remain unchanged from 2021. The measures for 2022 will take effect in the Gulf of St. Lawrence as soon as the Gulf crab fisheries open this year (as early as April 1).
• DFO will be informing the Grand Manan Fisherman’s Association that starting in the Fall 2022 season, it will no longer be authorizing its rope-reduction pilot project in lobster fishing area (LFA) 38. These harvesters will have to remove all their gear from the water column when right whales are detected, as is the requirement for all other non-tended fixed gear fisheries, including crab and lobster, in Atlantic Canada and Quebec.
• On December 17, 2021 the Department met with the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Deputy National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Administrator and her colleagues to discuss matters of common interest in relation to NARW protection measures and reporting under the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). As a result of discussions agreements were reached on the following:
• End speculation on the origin of fishing gear removed from a whale when respective gear investigations are inconclusive.
• Develop a gear investigation information sharing protocol.
• NOAA will review and update their historical records of NARW incidents that were unjustifiably assigned to Canada.
• The first right whale Advisory Committee meeting (previously the roundtable) was held on November 30 and December 2, 2021.
• Closure statistics from 2021:
- 524 total closures (382 full grids, 142 portion of grids, total coverage for closures– 74,926.92 km2
- 124 seasonal closures (23 portion of grids), seasonal closures covered 26,763.74 km2
• As of November 15, 2021, there were 1476 recorded detections of right whales (does not represent individual whales).
• In October 2021, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released an updated estimate of the North Atlantic Right Whale (NARW) population: 336 right whales, which is significantly lower than previously thought.
• In 2021, targeted right whale surveillance efforts resumed on April 12. The first right whale was detected on April 25, 2021 by the DFO Science Cessna. Acoustic monitoring devices became operational as of May 15, 2021.
• As of 2021, a technical working group of harvesters, right whale experts, and departmental officials meet regularly throughout the year to discuss ongoing right whale fisheries management issues in Canadian waters.
• In 2021, the Department is continuing with adaptive measures to aid in preventing fishing gear entanglements, such as:
• Changes to the open and closure dates of fisheries.
• Season-long closure protocol (Nov 15) in the Gulf of St. Lawrence;
• Dynamic closure protocol in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Bay of Fundy, and critical habitat areas (Grand Manan Basin and Roseway Basin);
• Case by case measures to address sightings of 3 whale or more aggregations or a mother and calf anywhere in Atlantic Canada and Quebec that is not subject to temporary closure areas and critical habitat;
• Maintaining targeted provisions for waters shallower than 20 fathoms (36.5 metres or 120 feet);
• Focused surveillance using acoustic underwater technology (hydrophones), aircraft and vessels to confirm the presence of whales;
• The 2021 Action Plan for the NARW was finalized and published on the Public Registry in spring 2021. The Action Plan addresses all threats identified in the species’ Recovery Strategy, including vessel collisions, entanglement in fishing gear, disturbance from vessel presence, noise, contaminants, habitat degradation, and changes in food supply.
• As announced in February 2020, the Department will continue working with partners and industry in Atlantic Canada and Quebec to identify gear solutions for preventing injury to right whales. The specific gear modifications are expected to vary by region and fishery, but the requirements will be the same for all non-tended, fixed-gear fisheries: low breaking strength rope or links must be incorporated by the end of 2022.
• Since 2018, DFO has invested over $5.7 million to further enhance the Marine Mammal Response Program, which responds to marine mammals in distress, including disentanglement of NARWs. This funding is part of the $167.4 million Whales Initiative in Budget 2018.
• The NARW was listed on Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act (SARA) as Endangered in 2005. It is predicted the species could become extinct in 30 years if the morality rate is not significantly reduced.

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