POOLE'S CORNER, P.E.I. - The federal fisheries minister isn’t sure restricting the number of snow crab traps is the answer when it comes to protecting the endangered right whale.
Dominic LeBlanc was asked Thursday about measures to protect the mammal. Some in the snow crab industry have suggested that the number of crab traps be reduced as one measure.
At least 17 of the mammals were killed in Canada and U.S. waters last year.
“I wouldn’t obviously agree to something that would disproportionately impact, for example, inshore crab fishers or crab fishers from a different part of the zone,’’ LeBlanc told the media in Pooles Corner where he was attending an unrelated fisheries funding announcement.
“I will be careful when we look at all the measures that we do the maximum in protecting the endangered right whale. That is the most important priority for us but I won’t make a decision that suddenly has an unintended consequence, whether it’s in Prince Edward Island or the gulf coast of Cape Breton. I want to make sure that we share the responsibility of implementing these changes fairly across all the different crab fleets.’’
Some changes have already been announced by the minister.
LeBlanc has called for a reduction in the amount of rope floating on the water’s surface and mandatory reporting of all lost gear. The new management measures will take effect immediately and be enforced aggressively.
More measures will come and will most likely include speed restrictions for vessels as was the case last year. Last summer, Transport Canada imposed a mandatory 10-knot speed limit in the western part of the Gulf of St. Lawrence for vessels 20 metres or longer to help reduce the risk of whale strikes.
LeBlanc said some scientists have told him reducing the number of weeks gear is in the water is important.
“It’s not necessarily the number of traps,’’ he said. “If we can start the season earlier by getting coast guard icebreakers to open up some ports and get the gear out of the water before the whales come in June, for example, that probably is much more important than playing around with the number of individual traps.’’
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