Fishing closures for North Atlantic right whale protection

To protect right whales, we put fishery management measures in place throughout the fishing season in Atlantic Canada and Quebec.

We’re focusing on preventing vessel strikes and entanglement by managing snow crab and lobster fisheries and all other non-tended fixed-gear fishing. Our fisheries management measures include:

• a season-long area closure (static zone) in the Gulf of St. Lawrence
• if one or more right whales are detected anywhere in the Gulf of St. Lawrence or the 2 critical habitats in the Roseway and Grand Manan Basins, temporary closures (dynamic zone) will be implemented for snow crab and lobster fisheries (and all other non-tended fixed-gear fisheries)
• outside these areas, special case-by-case basis consideration given to sightings of 3 or more whales or a mother and calf pair

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2019 fishery notices related to North Atlantic right whales

Notice title	Date issued
North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of grid closure: GY38, GZ38, HA38, HB42, HB43, HC42, HC43, HD41	2019-10-15
North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of grid closure: GZ39, GZ40, GZ41, GZ42, HA39, HA40, HA42, HE50, HE51, HF50, HF51, HG49, HG50, HG51	2019-10-11
North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of grid re-opening: GK32, GK33, GK34, GK35, GL32, GL33, GL34, GL35, GM32, GM33, GM34, GM35, GU35	2019-10-09
North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of grid re-opening: GN25, GN26, GN27, GO25, GO26, GO27, GP25, GP26, GP27, GV38, GV39, GV40, GW38, GX38, GY38, GZ39, GZ40, HA39, HA40, HB40, HC40	2019-10-02
North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of grid closure: HB44, HB45, HB46, HC44, HC45, HC46, HC57, HC58, HC59, HD45, HD46, HD57, HD58, HD59, HE57, HE58, HE59	2019-09-30
North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of grid closure: HD42, HD43, HD44, HE42, HE43, HE44, HF42. HF43, HF44	2019-09-27
North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of grid closure and re-opening: HE45, HE46, HF45, HF46, HG45, HG46, HG47 / GV33, GV34, GV35, GW33, GW34, GW35, GX33, GX34, GX35, GZ38, HB39, HC39	2019-09-26
North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of grid closure and re-opening: GL35, GM35 / HP20, HP21, HQ20, HQ21, HR20, HR21	2019-09-23
North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of grid re-opening: HP22, HQ22, HQ23, HR22, HR23, HS21, HS22, HS23, HT21, HT22	2019-09-18
North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of grid closure: HD47, HD48, HD49, HE47, HE48, HE49, HF47, HF48, HF49	2019-09-16
North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of grid closure: Full grids GW35; Portion of grids GV33, GV34, GV35, GW34, GX34 and GX35 from the 20 fathoms line towards deeper waters	2019-09-10
North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of grid closure: GU39, GU40, GU41, GV37, GW34, GW35, GW36, GV33, GV34, GV35, GV36, GX35	2019-09-04
North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of grid closure: GN25, GN26, GN27, GO25, GO26, GO27, GP25, GP26, GP27	2019-09-03
North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of grid closure: HP20, HP21, HP22, HQ20, HQ21, HQ22, HQ23, HR20, HR21, HR22, HR23, HS21, HS22, HS23	2019-08-29
North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of grid re-opening: GK31, GL31, GM31, GW46, GW47, GW48, GX46, GX47, GX48, GY46, GY48, HA37, HA38	2019-08-28
North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of grid closure: GV38, GV42, HA40, HA41, HB39, HB40, HB41, HC39, HC40, HC41, HR21, HR22, HR23, HS21, HS22, HS23, HT21, HT22	2019-08-27
North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of grid closure: HE54, HE55, HE56, HF54, HF55, HF56, HG54, HG55	2019-08-26
North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of grid closure: GW32, GX31, GX32, GX33, GY31, GY32	2019-08-23
North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of grid closure: GL36, GM36	2019-08-22
North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of grid re-opening: GV42, GY47	2019-08-21
North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of grid closure: GV36, GV37, GW36, GX35	2019-08-16
North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of grid closure and re-opening: GU39, GU40, GU41, GY42 / HC43, HC44, HC45	2019-08-15
North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of grid re-opening and closure update: GT37, GU37, GU38, GU40, GU41, HA40, HB43, HB44, HB45 / GU35, GV33, GV34, GV35, GW33, GW34, GW35	2019-08-14
North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of grid closing and re-opening: GL31, GM31, GW34, GW35, HA37, HA38, HA39, GK31, GU35, GV33, GV34, GV35, GW33, GV37, GV38	2019-08-12
North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of grid closing and re-opening : GK32, GL32, GM32, GW44, GX44, GY42, GY44, GY45, HA42, HA43, HA44, HA45, GM36, GV43, GW43, GW45	2019-08-09
North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of grid closing : GX46, GX47(portion), GX48, GW47, GW48, GY47, GY48	2019-08-08
North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of grid closing and re-opening: GV42, GU39, HA37, HA38, HA39	2019-08-07
North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of grid closing and re-opening: GZ40, GL36, HC35	2019-08-02
North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of grid re-opening: GS40, GS41, GS42, GT40, GT41, GT42, GU36, GU42, GV36, GV44, GV45, GV46, GZ40, GZ43, GZ44, HB35	2019-07-31
North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of grid re-opening: GV42, GW43, GX43, GY43	2019-07-26
Presence of North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of fishery closure: GK33, GL33, GM33	2019-07-24
Presence of North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of fishery closure: GU37	2019-07-23
North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of grid re-opening: HA41	2019-07-22
North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of Fisheries Closing: HA44, HA45, HB43, HB44, HB45, HC43, HC44 and HC45	2019-07-21
North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of Fisheries Opening: GW36, GX45, GX46, HB36, HB37, HB38, HC36, HC37, HC38 and GZ41 and a portion of grid GW45	2019-07-18
Presence of North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of fishery closure: GK34, GK35, GL34, GL35, GL36, GM34, GM35, GM36, GU38, GU39	2019-07-12
Presence of North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of fishery closure: GS40, GS41, GS42, GT40, GT41, GT42	2019-07-01
Presence of North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of fishery closure: HB38, HC38	2019-06-29
Presence of North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of fishery closure: GU40, GU41, GU42, GV40, GV41, GV42	2019-06-28
Presence of North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of fishery closure: HA37, HB35, HB36, HB37, HC35, HC36, HC37	2019-06-21
Presence of North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of fishery closure: GZ40, HA38, HA39, HA40	2019-06-20
Presence of North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of fishery closure: GZ38, GZ39	2019-06-19
Presence of North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of fishery closure: GZ44	2019-06-18
Presence of North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of fishery closure: GT37	2019-06-11
Presence of North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of fishery closure: GU36, GV36, GW36, GY40	2019-06-10
Presence of North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of fishery closure: GY38, GY39	2019-06-08
Presence of North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of fishery re-opening: GY47	2019-06-07
Presence of North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of fishery closure: IA30, IA31, IB30, IB31	2019-06-06
Presence of North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of fishery closure: GV43	2019-06-05
Presence of North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of fishery closure: GX38, GX39	2019-06-04
Presence of North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of fishery closure: GX40, GX41, GY41, GY42, GZ41, GZ42, GZ43, HA41, HA42, HA43	2019-06-02
North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of grid re-opening: GU36, GU44, GV36, GV42, GV43, GW36	2019-05-31
Presence of North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of fishery closure: GU39, GU40, GV39, GV40, GV41, GV46, GW39, GW40, GW41, GW46 and GX46	2019-05-30
North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of grid re-opening: GU42, GU43	2019-05-28
Presence of North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of fishery closure: GX42	2019-05-22
Presence of North Atlantic Right Whales - Notice of fishery closure: GY43	2019-05-21
Presence of North Atlantic Right Whales – Notice of fishery closures: GY44, GY45, GY46, GY47, GW46, GX46 and GX47	2019-05-20
Presence of North Atlantic Right Whales – Notice of fishery closures: GV37, GV38, GW36, GW38, GU37, GU38, GU36 and GV36	2019-05-18
Presence of North Atlantic Right Whales-Notice of fishery closures: GU42, GU43, GU44, GV42, GV43, GV44, GV45, GW42, GW43, GW44, GW45, GX43, GX44, and GX45	2019-05-14
Announcement of the closure protocol for Gulf, Maritimes, Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec regions fixed gear fisheries in case of North Atlantic Right whale presence	2019-04