A North Atlantic Right Whale has been spotted in an area near Grand Manan Island and that has prompted the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to tell fishermen to pull their gear for the time being. This is the first time this season the Bay of Fundy has been affected by the spotting of a Right Whale.
ALERT ⚠️: New temporary fisheries measures will be in place next to areas temporarily closed to help protect North Atlantic #RightWhales. https://t.co/csvoyrJJUE pic.twitter.com/3P3KAVclJ4
— Fisheries and Oceans (@FishOceansCAN) June 18, 2018
Grand Manan Fisheries Association President Brian Guptill tells us he believes Right Whales deserve protection but in this case, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans may well have jumped the gun.
“If you see one whale multiple times yes close it, but to see one travelling whale, that whale may not even stop.” “There are two aerial flights being done and we will know more after they get done, but it might have been the only whale out there, says Guptill.
What upsets him the most is the fact they have had whale mitigation plans in place for a long time and were never even asked about them when the decision was made to tell lobster fishermen to pull up their gear.
“It’s a hardship very most on the crews who are going to lose some pretty good weeks pays because of it, and that has a trickle-down effect right down to the processor right down to the shopkeepers that people don’t have money to spend,” says Guptill.
