Terms of Reference

National Marine Mammal Peer Review Committee (NMMPRC) 2018 Meeting I: Review of North Atlantic right whale occurrence and risk of interactions with fishing gear and collision with vessels

National Peer Review - National Capital Region

November 26-30, 2018
Montreal, QC

Chairperson: Garry Stenson and Lianne Postma

Context

The National Marine Mammal Peer Review Committee (NMMPRC) holds at least one annual meeting to conduct scientific peer-review of marine mammal issues. Meetings provide the opportunity for collaborative review of scientific results by marine mammal experts from Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and from other (non-DFO) organizations. Following NMMPRC peer-review and approval, scientific results are used to provide sound scientific advice for the management and conservation of marine mammals in Canada.

In Canada, the North Atlantic Right Whale (NARW) is listed as Endangered under Schedule I of the Species at Risk Act (SARA), resulting in legal protection of the species and mandatory recovery planning. Under SARA, recovery actions associated with NARW are managed and/or administered by DFO. The SARA Recovery Strategy describes threats to the species, recovery objectives, and approaches for achieving them. Recovery objectives include reducing mortality and injury from vessel strikes and entanglements in fishing gear (DFO 2014).

In 2017, 12 NARW were found dead in the Gulf of St. Lawrence (GSL). Necropsies were conducted on seven of these animals, and results confirmed that four of the deaths were from trauma consistent with vessel collisions, two were the result of entanglement in fishing gear, and one carcass was very decomposed but did show signs of trauma (Daoust et al. 2017). In response to these mortalities, the Government of Canada implemented a voluntary speed restriction in the GSL for vessels greater than 20 metres [65 feet] on 10 July 2017. On 11 August 2017, a mandatory slow-down zone was implemented and lasted until January 2018. For the 2018 season, a speed restriction for vessels 20 metres or longer to a maximum of 10 knots when travelling in the western Gulf of St. Lawrence in the area was imposed from April 28 until November 15, 2018. The speed restriction zone may be changed as the whales migrate through the area. The Government of Canada will allow ships to travel at normal speeds when no whales are in the area in parts of the two shipping lanes, which are north and south of Anticosti Island.

In an effort to reduce the number of entanglements of NARW in fishing gear, in April 2018 DFO announced areas for both static and dynamic fisheries management (e.g., fishery closures) in key areas for NARW; Gulf management areas were based on the area where 90% of the NARW observations occurred in 2017 (static closure) and potential foraging suitability based upon an analysis of historical copepod (Calanus finmarchicus) biomass, while Maritime management areas were based on current Critical Habitat boundaries for NARW in the Roseway Basin and Grand Manan.

Objective

The objectives of this meeting are to:

• Determine, to the extent possible with available data, the spatial and temporal distribution of NARW in Canadian waters, based on aerial surveys (DFO Science, C&P, TC, NOAA, ENGOs, etc.), acoustic data collected from moorings, buoys and gliders, and other biological data. More specifically:
• Describe the seasonal distribution of NARW in Canadian waters, including residency in Canadian waters, current and historical distribution, individual residency and distribution.
• Identify the advantages and disadvantages of the different methods and technologies used to survey and monitor the presence of NARW.
• Identify the physical and/or biological factors that influence the distribution of NARWs in Canadian waters.
• Identify potential areas where NARW may occur lying outside of the current survey areas that may warrant more effort to assess species presence.
• Describe how the factors that influence the distribution and aggregations of NARWs provide a basis for defining spatial or temporal management measures, such as the dynamic or static closures currently implemented in Canadian waters. 
• Determine the probability of NARW presence over various water depths including depths less than 10 and 20 fathoms (18 and 37 m).
• Determine the risks to NARW of entanglement in invertebrate fishing gear in the Gulf of St. Lawrence
• Determine the risks to NARW of vessel collision in the Gulf of St. Lawrence

Expected Publications

• Science Advisory Report
• Proceedings
• 10 Research Documents

Expected Participation

• DFO (Ecosystems and Oceans Science, Species at Risk, Fisheries and Harbour Management sectors)
• Transport Canada
• Academia or Academics
• Other invited experts (if there are participants invited that do not fit into the other categories e.g., environmental non-government organizations)