May 2, 2018 — Eleven U.S. senators have urged NOAA to conduct an assessment of Canada’s Atlantic fisheries and evaluate effects on the endangered North Atlantic right whale population.

“Fishermen in the United States have made significant sacrifices to reduce deadly interactions with this species, and we need to understand whether Canada’s fishermen are being held to a similarly high standard in order to prevent the extinction of this species,” reads the letter sent on April 25.

Eighteen right whales died last year, the majority in Canadian waters, of the estimated 450 remaining.

Canadian Fisheries Minister Dominica LeBlanc ordered icebreakers to work the Gulf of St. Lawrence this spring in order for the snow crab fishery to begin in early April, weeks earlier than normal. The government also implemented a ship speed reduction in the gulf, a reduction in the use of floating rope and a requirement to report lost gear.

Despite those changes, the Marine Stewardship Council suspended certification of the fishery in March after approving it in the fall.

“While we applaud Canada’s efforts to address these ongoing crises, we remain concerned as to whether the measures enacted will sufficiently protect North Atlantic right whales,” reads the letter.

Read the full story at National Fisherman