Fishermen's frustration grows as reality of protecting whales sinks in

The president of the Maritime Fishermen's Union says there is "increasing frustration" among his members after a new temporary closure of an area east of Miscou Island on the northern coast of New Brunswick.

The decision by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans comes after a surveillance flight spotted two North Atlantic right whales swimming in the area.

Fishermen have until Tuesday at 4 p.m. to remove all of their gear during the 15-day closure, which could be extended if whales remain in the area.

Carl Allen said those who have been fishing in the area that will be closed are in a "severe panic."

"There's a lot of panic,"  Allen told Information Morning Moncton. "There's a lot of frustration and there's concern — where are [the whales] going to be tomorrow, what area are they going to be in the day after ... how many more quadrants are going to get closed?"

"And some of them might be starting to wonder, am I going to be able to get my allocation?"

'A tough pill to swallow'

Allen said his members want to be part of the discussion when decisions like this are made by the Department of Fisheries.

"It seems as though some of the people involved in the decision-making process have no concept of the reality of the fishery," he said.

"When you have people in Ottawa … who have never had salt water sprayed in their face unless they were at the beach — they're the ones giving advice to make the decision and they have no idea, no concept of the reality of the fishery and how it's executed and how things are done — that's very concerning."

Allen said he understands the basis of the decision to close some areas for the remainder of the season and others on a temporary basis, but that doesn't mean he and his members agree with it.

We were aware that the whales were coming up the east side of Cape Breton and it seemed like they made a quick dart across the Gulf … and then this happens and it wakes you back up to the reality of the situation.- Carl Allen, MFU

Allen said there is a feeling of frustration and anxiety among fishers about what he calls the "heavy hammer" that's being used by Ottawa in an effort to protect the endangered whales.

"We're the ones that they're defending their position to. We may understand it but it's still a tough pill to swallow."  

Allen said the other concern for fishermen is that the area is closed for 15 days even if the whales move through quickly.

"We were aware that the whales were coming up the east side of Cape Breton and it seemed like they made a quick dart across the Gulf. … and then this happens and it wakes you back up to the reality of the situation."

Extensive surveillance continues

The new closure is in effect for the snow crab, toad crab, rock crab, lobster and whelk fisheries. It is also in effect for winter flounder and Atlantic halibut.

In a statement, the Fisheries Department said the government continues to undertake "extensive surveillance of many areas of Atlantic Canadian waters where North Atlantic right whales may be present over the coming months."

At least 18 North Atlantic right whales have been found dead since the winter of 2017 — 12 in Canadian waters and six in U.S. waters. 

Necropsies revealed the deaths were related to entanglements or ship strikes.