A new water vessel will help make large whale rescues in the Gulf of St. Lawrence safer and faster.
Until now, marine mammal responders would need to travel several hours or days to respond to whale incidents.
This new vessel that will be operated by the Acadian Regional Federation of professional Fishers out of Shippagan, is the first one to operate out of the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence.
MP for Acadie-Bathurst Serge Cormier says, “Historically, the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence did not have a dedicated vessel or team to respond to large whales in distress. The APPCA and their members, fishermen who are receiving training for large whale disentanglements, know these waters and weather conditions. The APPCA is providing a very important service in our region, which has become even more critical now that the North Atlantic right whales are spending more time in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.”
In recent years, the Campobello Whale Rescue Team, has been providing marine mammal response training to the members of the APPCA so they can safely disentangle large whales.
President of the Association des pêcheurs professionnels crabiers acadiens Inc. Martin Noël says, “The Association is very pleased to establish a marine mammal disentanglement team to better protect endangered species like the North Atlantic right whale. We want to ensure that we keep a sustainable fishery in place for future generations and maintain our markets for snow crab sales in international markets.”
Fisheries and Oceans Canada has made a $379, 000 investment for the vessel.
The federal government is also providing an additional $30,000 for whale disentanglement equipment and other operational costs.
Over the past several years, this body of water has been a popular destination for North Atlantic right whales in the spring and summer months.
