The Canadian government placed speed restrictions in two shipping lanes the Gulf of St. Lawrence in response to recent deaths of North Atlantic right whales.
Effective June 26, Transport Canada placed a 10-knot cap on vessels traveling in the shipping lanes north and south of Anticosti Island in the western part of the Gulf. The restriction applies to vessels that are 20 meters (65.6 feet) or longer.
The ministry issued the directive after a right whale was found dead this week; the fifth time in a year. It followed earlier speed limits placed in parts of the Gulf in October. Vessels found to exceed face fines of up C$25,000 fine (a Canadian dollar equals US$0.76.)
“The Government of Canada takes the protection, conservation and recovery of endangered species very seriously,” Transport Minister Marc Garneau said in a statement.
In the most recent death, the whale was found on the shore of Anticosti Island. Preliminary findings from an autopsy found that the whale died from “sharp trauma, consistent with [a] vessel strike,” Oceans and Fisheries Canada said.
Just over 400 of the whales are estimated to remain worldwide. They often travel to Canadian waters during the summer. This includes the shipping lanes near Anticosti island, east of the St. Lawrence Seaway, linking the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, including the ports of Montreal and Quebec City.
The Canadian government has previously placed speed limits on shipping traffic in the area in order to protect whales.
The Maritime Information Bureau, which promotes the maritime industry in the St. Lawrence region, explained in 2018 that imposing speed limits reduces the risk of death to right whales in the case of ship strikes. A 10-knot collision has a 30 percent fatality rate, versus 90 percent at 17 knots.
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