Fishers are adapting to protect endangered right whales. Canada must help
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BY: Marc Lefort
Originally published in the National Observer.
The arrival of 21 new North Atlantic right whale calves this season should be a moment of celebration. As a fisher in Cape Breton, I feel that hope personally — for a species fighting for survival. But it was quickly overshadowed.
In December, a right whale was confirmed entangled in fishing gear off the US southeast coast. The whale — a four-year-old male last seen gear-free in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in July — is now the latest reminder that these animals cannot outswim the threats they face.
From where we stand on the water, it’s clear Canada has come a long way since 2017, when 12 whales died in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and protective measures were largely absent. Since then, we’ve seen vessel slowdowns, fishery closures, restricted zones and trials of on-demand (ropeless) fishing gear. These steps have reduced some risks. But 2024 marked the deadliest year for right whales since 2019, with six confirmed entanglements in Canadian waters. That’s a warning sign: the pace of mitigation is not keeping up with the urgency of the crisis.
As a first-generation lobster and snow crab fisher out of Grand Étang, near Chéticamp on Cape Breton Island, I know fishing here is more than a job — it’s a way of life. Right whales are showing up in places we didn’t expect, forcing changes to practices that have been passed down for generations. It’s always exciting to spot a whale. Watching one suffer is something else entirely. Seeing Argo, a 42-year-old male, dragging gear off southern Nova Scotia was heartbreaking.
No one wants that.
Still, adapting comes at a cost. In 2023, when whales appeared in the crab fishing zone off Cape Breton, the season — which lasts just two months — was shut down for two weeks. Closures like that hit hard, and they’re happening more frequently.
The only way for us to keep fishing during these closures is by using on-demand gear, a technology that eliminates vertical lines in the water and reduces the risk of entanglement. It’s a win-win: we can keep working while whales stay safer.
A few early adopters are proving it’s possible. But the transition isn’t easy. Each unit costs thousands of dollars, putting it out of reach for many fishers without financial support. Initiatives like the CanFISH Gear Lending Program help, but Fisheries and Oceans Canada needs to do more. We need expanded testing, stronger investment and real support for adoption across the industry.
Yes, there are safety and technical challenges. Without surface buoys, it’s harder to know where traps are set on the seafloor, increasing the risk of gear conflicts. Early trials have faced acoustic issues and equipment reliability problems. But technology is improving. Continued testing in different fishing conditions, paired with advances in virtual gear marking, will build confidence and make broader use in closures possible. Without that investment, scaling up simply isn’t realistic.
Fishers are taking responsibility for another growing concern: ghost gear. Lost or discarded traps can harm marine life, including whales. We’re more aware than ever. We follow mandatory gear-marking rules, report gear loss and step up to protect the ocean we depend on.
The stakes are higher than most Canadians realize. This is about more than whales — it’s also about market access. Under the US Marine Mammal Protection Act, seafood imported into the US must come from fisheries that minimize harm to marine mammals. If Canada can’t show it is reducing risks to species such as the North Atlantic right whale, we could lose access to our largest seafood export market. That blow would be far worse than temporary closures.
The path forward is clear.
Fishers like me, alongside organizations such as Oceana Canada, believe Canada must continue on-demand gear trials and ensure fishers are trained and supported to use this technology during right whale closures. We need stronger investment to make this gear more reliable, more visible and more affordable. And we need to amplify the voices of fishers who are already showing leadership — proving that protecting right whales and sustaining coastal livelihoods can go hand in hand.
This isn’t a choice between whales and fishing. It’s about making sure both can survive and thrive. The shift to safer, smarter gear is already underway. With the right support, it can protect our livelihoods, keep fishers on the water and show the world that Canada takes sustainable fishing seriously — before it’s too late.
Marc Lefort is a commercial fish harvester born and raised on Cape Breton Island and has been fishing lobster and snow crab for 36 years. He has been involved in at-sea testing of various whalesafe gear technologies since 2021
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