Canada has launched a “whale-safe fishing gear” strategy after the death of Division, a four-year-old North Atlantic right whale that suffered for a month before dying from entanglement (confirmed dead on 27 January). With only ~380 right whales left, including 70 reproductive females, every loss matters.
The plan targets entanglement risk for whales on both coasts, including humpbacks, blue and fin whales. A focus is reducing the danger posed by vertical buoy lines in fixed gear fisheries, using tools such as on-demand “ropeless” systems and other whale-safer gear, alongside better gear marking and flexible management when whales are present.
Campaigners welcome the direction, but warn Canada has been stuck in “pilot phase” for years and the strategy is already over a year late. Funding is another question: safer gear can be expensive, and budget cuts and reduced surveillance could undermine whale detection and protections.
DFO says market pressure is driving uptake, with exporters needing to meet US Marine Mammal Protection Act requirements. Milestones include a right-whale entanglement risk assessment by 2027, gear requirements in key fisheries from 2028, and a network by 2030 aiming for long-term coexistence between fisheries and whales.
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