Caraquet — The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has revealed the most restrictive measures so far on lobster fishing in New Brunswick.
But, New Brunswick lobster fishermen are saying that when scrutinized, DFO’s latest plan to save the whales doesn’t hold water.
In a news release, DFO said today that lobster fishermen are no longer allowed to fish lobster from boats on the water. Instead, now they can only deploy their traps by throwing them as hard as they can from the shore.
The new regulations announced today are on top of those previously released, which already closed 33 zones to lobster fishing due to reported sightings of endangered North Atlantic Right Whales.
“We are now of the opinion that no boats can be in the Gulf at all,” announced Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc. “We think that the whales are so delicate now that the mere sight of a fishing boat may be enough to frighten them literally to death. It’s not a ‘for-sure’ thing, but we can’t take any risk at all.”
In addition to being restricted to a zone within throwing distance from shore, LeBlanc says that fishermen can “set up as many traps as they want” on land along the water’s edge. “Then, of course, they’ll have to coax the lobster out of the water and into the traps,” he said.
“We are suggesting a number of lobster calls that fishermen can make to attract the lobster while lying belly-down on the sand. That said, not too loud though because we don’t want to possibly upset any whales.”
Finally, LeBlanc also announced that DFO will be sprinkling fish stuffed with marijuana edibles in the restricted zones anywhere whales are spotted. “These right whales are right stressed out. We are doing everything we can to help them chill as much as possible.
“And since marijuana is our answer to everything else, why not this too?” he said.