Lobster season opens with whale pilot project

In a repeat of last year's weather delay, Grand Manan's lobster season opened three days late on November 14. With wind forecasts approaching 30 knots and northeasterly -- the worst direction for islanders -- weather calls held November 11 and 12 resulted in decisions to delay the opening. Grand Manan Fishermen's Association (GMFA) Program Coordinator Bonnie Morse says participants in these calls include the association's lobster committee, an Environment Canada forecaster and a search and rescue representative. All GMFA members are welcome to attend as well.
After the weather call on November 13, the season was set to open at 7 a.m. on November 14, and although temperatures had dropped considerably during the week, the wind had abated. Morse says she hasn't heard of any major problems during setting.
The season opened under a pilot project intended to reduce hazards for right whales. After closure of a critical habitat area in the Grand Manan Basin in June 2018, when one whale was sighted, the GMFA worked to come up with a plan to continue fishing with minimal risk. Fishermen using endlines greater than 65 fathoms -- which equates to about 30 fathoms' water depth -- are required to fish a minimum of 14 traps per trawl, with a maximum of 30 fathoms between each trap. Many fishermen space their traps closer. This is intended to limit the amount of rope in the water. Endlines must have a minimum of 20 fathoms of 3/8‑inch rope, which is smaller than the regular lines and breaks more easily; fishermen can decide whether to splice it in at the top or bottom. Another condition for all fishermen requires a maximum of 10 fathoms between the main buoy and a secondary trail buoy.
Following a whale sighting, trail buoys must be removed. A sighting triggers a 15‑day closure. Because the last right whale sighting was on November 4, the trail buoy rule was in effect for the season opening. If no more whales are sighted, they may be used after November 19.
The critical habitat is a roughly oval polygon in the middle of the bay east of Grand Manan, measuring approximately 15 by 25 nautical miles. Morse says about 30 boats are impacted, and the habitat area is a quarter of the district. She acknowledges that the fishermen would rather use trail buoys, but they recognize that without this regulation they wouldn't be able to fish at all. It would make the rest of LFA 38 very congested.
"We're happy Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) had enough trust to let us try this," she says, noting that this is the only group in Canada allowed to fish following the sighting of a right whale in a designated critical habitat area. "The entire Gulf of St. Lawrence has been designated critical habitat as well as the Grand Manan and Roseway basins. Outside those areas three right whales would trigger a closure. It's kind of a big deal they're letting us do this. It's a big responsibility." She says they want to "make sure we're doing everything we can to see nothing bad happens to the whales." This is the first chance to test the strategy, so "it's important to do it right."
Morse says that the sudden arrival of winter temperatures will help to clear whales out of the bay: when they disappear for warmer waters, "they go fast." Aerial surveys were conducted by the DFO on November 9 and 11, and they saw no whales. A DFO boat also did a search on the November 11.
With 135 active licenses in LFA 38, Morse estimates about 100 boats set traps on November 14. She hasn't heard much speculation about the price yet, as the weather has been the primary topic of conversation. Landings were reportedly down on the first two hauling days, which she said was "likely weather related." Although the catch was better on November 17, fishermen were again plagued with bad weather and northeasterlies on November 18.