Canada releases Whalesafe Fishing Gear Strategy to protect endangered whales

Fisheries and Oceans Canada has published the Whalesafe Fishing Gear Strategy to reduce whale entanglements by promoting on‑demand ropeless systems and low breaking‑strength rope in high‑risk areas, with pilots planned for 2027, management areas by 2028 and wider rollout to high‑risk fisheries by 2030.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada has released the Whalesafe Fishing Gear Strategy, intended to reduce entanglements in vertical buoy lines and lessen harm when entanglements occur. The plan emphasizes on‑demand "ropeless" gear and low breaking‑strength rope as main approaches. Officials said the strategy was delayed by consultations with harvesters and Indigenous groups to ensure stronger uptake. The initial priority is the east coast, where North Atlantic right whales overlap with fishing seasons. Key facts: - The strategy commits to designated management areas open to on‑demand ropeless gear, with pilot areas planned for 2027, management areas by 2028, and expansion to all high‑risk fisheries nationwide by 2030. - On‑demand gear is already permitted under scientific permits, but is typically used reactively after whale detections trigger closures; the strategy would make it a proactive standard in some areas. - The strategy identifies two main categories of whalesafe gear: systems that remove vertical buoy lines entirely and low breaking‑strength rope designed to break at about 1,700 pounds. - The article reports entanglement is a leading cause of right whale decline, with 86 percent of right whales having been entangled at least once and an estimated 384 North Atlantic right whales remaining. - Pilot programs and lending initiatives such as the CanFISH Gear Lending Program have allowed some harvesters to use ropeless gear and continue landings in areas otherwise closed, and some conservation scientists and harvesters cited in the article described the gear as effective after trials. Summary: The strategy shifts the approach from reactive closures toward proactively designating areas where whalesafe gear is standard and aims to provide regulatory clarity and market predictability for manufacturers. Next steps include defining risk‑assessment metrics with stakeholders, running pilot areas in 2027, establishing management areas by 2028, and expanding to high‑risk fisheries across Canada by 2030.