Responsible Seafood Summit: “Some Fails But Overall Success” With Ropeless Gear In Snow Crab Fishery

“Ropeless is hopeless.” It’s a phrase that many snow crab and lobster harvesters can likely relate to following the declaration of the unusual mortality event for North Atlantic right whales in 2017. 

Martin Noël, a snow crab fisherman and Captain of the FV Jean-Denis Martin in New Brunswick, has been fishing for 29 years. And on the “ Close To Home: Innovation and Adaptation Amongst Canadian Snow Crab and Lobster Fisheries” panel at the Global Seafood Alliance’s Responsible Seafood Summit...

Fed’s Largest Climate/Conservation Investment Going to North Atlantic Right Whale Recovery

Yesterday, NOAA announced an unprecedented $82 million in funding that will go to conserving and recovering the endangered North Atlantic right whales. The funding comes from the Inflation Reduction Act and is the largest climate and conservation investment in U.S. history. 

Only 350 North Atlantic right whales remain, including fewer than 70 reproductively active females. The funding, announced during Climate Week and part of a $2.6 billion package to strengthen coastal resilience, may prevent the whales extinction. The ...

Photo of NARW mother and calf courtesy NOAA

Three More Seasonal Grid Closures Announced for Gulf of St. Lawrence

Fisheries and Oceans Canada has announced three additional seasonal grid closures for the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Grid closures are part of Canada’s management plans to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales. Scientists estimate that less than 350 of these whales remain. Temporary grid closures are in place for 15 days. In the Gulf of St. Lawrence, if a North Atlantic right whale is detected again during days 9 to 15 of the temporary closure, then the grid will become seasonally closed until November 15, 2023...

DFO Confirms 3 More Temporary Grid Closures in Gulf of St. Lawrence

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) announced an additional three grid closures on Wednesday. 

The following three grids will be temporarily closed beginning May 28, 2023 at 5 p.m. The DFO said that they are providing a 96-hour delay for those grids due to the weather forecast. However, all gear must be removed by the date listed.

The grid closures are part of Canada’s management plans to protect the endangered North Atlantic right whales. Scientists estimate that less than 350 of these whales remain...

DFO Announces New Temporary Grid Closures For Gulf of St. Lawrence

Seven full grids and a portion of two grids in the Gulf of St. Lawrence are set to close today, Wednesday, May 17 at 5 p.m. The grid closures are due to the visual detection of two North Atlantic right whales, including one calf.

The full grids in question are GX36, GX37, GY36, GY37, GZ36 and GZ37. A portion of grids GX355 and GY35 are also closed. The grid closures were initially announced on May 15, and gear removal was delayed due to the weather forecast...

Maine Lobster Industry Thrown Lifeline As Delegation Secures Government Funding Package 

On Tuesday the Maine Delegation consisting of U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King, Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden, as well as Governor Janet Mills, announced that they were successful in securing a regulatory pause for Maine’s lobster industry in the omnibus appropriations bill that is expected to pass the Senate and House this week. As Senator King said on a press call this morning, “this was a Christmas miracle for the lobster industry.” 

All members of the Maine Delegation and Governor Mills worked closely on this provision...

Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team to Discuss Next Phase of Modifications This Week

The Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team will hold two more days of virtual meetings on December 1 and 2 to talk over the next phase of modifications to the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan.

Back in November, the group met to review information to help inform the development of a number of recommended measures for all U.S. commercial fixed gear fisheries along the East Coast.

“The goal of the December meeting is for the Team to come together on recommendations on the measures needed...

NOAA, BOEM Unveil Draft Strategy for Offshore Wind and North Atlantic Right Whales

NOAA Fisheries and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) released a draft joint strategy that explains how the agencies will work to protect the endangered North Atlantic right whale species as it develops offshore wind.

NOAA explained that the draft breaks down the agencies’ goals and objectives to better understand the effects of offshore wind development on the whales and their habitat. The public is invited to review and comment on the draft strategy by December 4, 2022.

Furthermore, the strategy shows...

NOAA Adds 36 Morbidity Cases to North Atlantic Right Whale Unusual Mortality Event

NOAA Fisheries added 36 morbidity cases to the ongoing North Atlantic Right Whale Unusual Mortality Event (UME), per an October 14 story posted on its website.

The morbidity cases, or sublethal injuries or illnesses, reflect vessel strikes, entanglements, and injuries or poor body condition of unknown cause, NOAA explained.

“We are adding these individual whales to the 34 mortality and 21 serious injury cases in the UME for a more accurate total of 91 whales impacted by this event...

Three New Seasonal Grid Closures Confirmed in Gulf of St. Lawrence

On Friday Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) confirmed the seasonal closures of three additional grids in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Canada created a management plan to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales, of which scientists estimate that less than 350 remain. Grid closures are part of this management plan. In the Gulf of St. Lawrence, a temporary grid closure is put in place for 15 days following a visual or acoustic sighting of a whale. If a North Atlantic right whale is detected again...

DFO Announces First Seasonal Grid Closures For Gulf of St. Lawrence in 2023

The first seasonal grid closures in the Gulf of St. Lawrence were announced by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) on Monday. 

Grid closures are part of Canada’s management plans to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales. Scientists estimate that less than 350 of these whales remain. Temporary grid closures are in place for 15 days. In the Gulf of St. Lawrence, if a North Atlantic right whale is detected again during days 9 to 15 of the temporary closure, then the grid will become seasonally closed...

New Temporary Grid Closures and Grid Re-Openings Announced for Gulf of St. Lawrence

Fisheries and Oceans Canada is announcing additional grid closures in the Gulf of St. Lawrence as endangered North Atlantic right whales continue to be spotted.

The latest grids to be closed include GT37, GT38, GU37, GU38, GV37 and GV38. In addition, a portion of grids GT36, GU36 and GV36 will also be temporarily closed. The closure will take place on May 24 at 5 p.m., meaning all gear must be removed by then.

There are also a number of grids in the Gulf of...

Canada Announces 2023 Fishery, Vessel Management Measures to Protect North Atlantic Right Whales

Ahead of the upcoming snow crab season, Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has announced the 2023 fishery and vessel management measures that are in place to protect the endangered North Atlantic right whales.

Measures by the DFO include adaptive closure protocols to prevent entanglements, like seasonal and dynamic area closures for non-tended fixed gear, trap and pot fisheries in areas when right whales are visually or acoustically detected. This is nothing new as the DFO has been using hydrophones for...

DFO: Timeline Extended for Harvesters to Implement Lower Breaking Strength Gear Modifications

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) announced that the timeline for non-tended fixed gear, trap and pot commercial fisheries in Atlantic Canada and Quebec to implement lower breaking strength gear modifications has been extended to 2024.

The DFO said it is “reviewing available information to ensure that lower breaking strength fishing gear is safe, effective at protecting whales, and readily available. This is important for supporting harvesters as they transition successfully to equipment that better protects endangered whales.”

“The Department will continue its support for various whalesafe gear...

MSC Suspends Certification for Maine Lobster

Gulf of Maine lobster products will no longer be able to carry the blue Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) label.

MRAG Americas, a third-party assessor which monitors fisheries’ conformance with the MSC Fishery Standard, announced that the Gulf of Maine lobster fishery’s MSC certificate will be suspended.

The suspension will come into effect on December 15, 30 days after the suspension notice, when Maine lobster can no longer be sold as MSC certified sustainable. The fishery first gained certification in December 2016.

The MSC explained that an expedited...

Federal Court Grants Lobstermen Expedited Appeal in Lawsuit with NMFS

A federal court of appeals will expedite its ruling in a case between the Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).

MLA’s case against the government challenges NMFS’ 10-year whale protection plan. The suit was initially filed in September 2021 and a year later, a federal judge ruled against the lobster fishing group and deferred to NMFS on all counts, forcing the MLA to appeal the ruling.

With the appeal in the hands of an appellate court, the MLA wanted a swift decision...