Saving Seafood

Canada announces North Atlantic right whale protections for 2026

March 27, 2026 — Canada’s government has announced several measures to help protect highly endangered North Atlantic right whales in upcoming commercial fishing seasons, keeping some protections in place and adding a few new actions to help reduce entanglements and vessel strikes.

“The North Atlantic right whale is one of the most endangered animals on the planet, and we have a responsibility to act. Canada’s protocols are in place, and our whale-safe fishing gear pilots are showing real results. We can protect this whale and support our harvesters,” Canada Minister of Fisheries Joanne Thompson said in a release.

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Newfoundland fishing union condemns creation of MPAs

October 29, 2025 — The Newfoundland and Labrador Fish, Food, and Allied Workers Union (FFAW) Inshore Council has unanimously condemned Canada’s use of marine protected areas (MPAs), refuges, national marine conservation areas, and other area restrictions that it says unfairly limit the fishing industry.

“We demand that Prime Minister Mark Carney, [Fisheries] Minister Joanne Thompson, and [Canadian Identity and Culture] Minister Steven Guilbeault immediately dismantle these baseless closures and abandon all plans for new ones. These policies are a deliberate betrayal of our fish harvesters, wrecking livelihoods while masquerading as conservation,” FFAW Vice President Jason Sullivan said in a release. “The federal government’s obsession with these closures is a disgrace, prioritizing hollow environmental optics over the survival of our communities.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource