Fishery notices related to North Atlantic right whales

Acoustic detections of whales by hydrophones (underwater microphones), and visual sightings of right whales from vessels and aircraft, will trigger temporary and season-long fishing closures.

Learn about the fisheries management measures in place to protect North Atlantic right whales in Canada

Report dead, injured or entangled marine mammals

On this page

• Fishery closures and openings
• Impacted fisheries
• Related links

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Fishery closures and openings

Note: The grids are closed as of the date that a whale is detected. No new fishing activity is permitted. For safety reasons (based on the marine weather forecast), harvesters fishing in the closed area are provided with time to retrieve their gear.

Notice title	Date issued
North Atlantic Right Whale - Notice of temporary prohibited fishing grid(s) GW37, GX37 and Notice to revoke prohibited fishing grid(s) HA43	2025-06-30
North Atlantic Right Whale - Notice of temporary prohibited fishing grid(s) GT36, GT37, GT38, GU36, GU37, GU38, GV36, GV37, GV38, HE47, HE48, HE49, HF48, HF49, HG48, HG49 and Notice to revoke prohibited fishing grid(s) HG45, HG46, HG47, HH45, HH46, HH47	2025-06-23
North Atlantic Right Whale - Notice of temporary prohibited fishing grid(s) GV44, GV45, GV46, GW44, GW45, GW46, GX45, GX46, HF45, HF46, HF47, HG45, HG46, HG47, HH45, HH46, HH47 and Notice of seasonally prohibited fishing grid(s) HB42, HC38, HC39	2025-06-17
2025 Traffic management measures to protect North Atlantic Right Whales in Canada	2025-06-16
North Atlantic Right Whale - Notice of temporary prohibited fishing grid(s) GX42, GX43, GX44 and Notice of seasonally prohibited fishing grid(s) HA40, HA41, HB40, HB41, HC40, HC41	2025-06-13
2025 Traffic management measures to protect North Atlantic Right Whales in Canada	2025-06-13
North Atlantic Right Whale - Notice of temporary prohibited fishing grid(s) GW38, GW39, GW40, HD40, HD41, HD42 and Notice of seasonally prohibited fishing grid(s) GX38, GX39, GX40, GY41	2025-06-10
North Atlantic Right Whale - Notice of temporary prohibited fishing grid(s) GY03, GY04, HB42, HC42	2025-06-09
North Atlantic Right Whale - Notice of temporary prohibited fishing grid(s) HC38 and Notice of seasonally prohibited fishing grid(s) GZ41	2025-06-06
North Atlantic Right Whale - Notice of temporary prohibited fishing grid(s) HA38, HA39, HA40, HA41, HB35, HB36, HB37, HB38, HB39, HB40, HB41, HC39, HC40, HC41, Notice of seasonally prohibited fishing grid(s) GY38, GY39, GY40, GZ38, GZ39, GZ40 and Notice to revoke prohibited fishing grid(s) IA29, IA30, IB28, IB29, IB30, IC28, IC29, IC30	2025-06-05
North Atlantic Right Whale - Notice of temporary prohibited fishing grid(s) HA45, HA46, HB44, HB45, HB46, HC44, HC45, HC46. Notice of seasonally prohibited fishing grid(s) GY35, GY36, GY37, GZ35, GZ36, GZ37, HA35, HA36, HA37	2025-06-03
North Atlantic Right Whale - Notice of temporary prohibited fishing grid(s) GV04, GV05, GW03, GW04, GW05, GX03, GX04, GX05	2025-05-29
North Atlantic Right Whale - Notice of temporary prohibited fishing grid(s) GX38, GX39, GX40, GX41, GY38, GY39, GY40, GY41, GZ38, GZ39, GZ40, GZ41	2025-05-27
North Atlantic Right Whale - Notice of temporary prohibited fishing grid(s) GY35, GY36, GY37, GZ35, GZ36, GZ37, HA35, HA36, HA37 and Notice to revoke prohibited fishing grid(s) GT36, GT37, GT38, GU36, GU37, GU38, GV36, GV37, GV38	2025-05-26
North Atlantic Right Whale - Notice to delay prohibition for fishing grid(s) IA29, IA30, IB28, IB29, IB30, IC28, IC29, IC30	2025-05-21
North Atlantic Right Whale - Notice of temporary prohibited fishing grid(s) GW49, GW50, GW51, GX49, GX50, GX51, GY42, GY43, GY44, GY49, GY50, GY51, GZ42, GZ43, GZ44, HA42, HA43, HA44, IA29, IA30, IB28, IB29, IB30, IC28, IC29, IC30	2025-05-20
2025 traffic management measures to protect North Atlantic Right Whales in Canada	2025-05-16
2025 Traffic management measures to protect North Atlantic Right Whales in Canada	2025-04-17
2025 Fisheries management measures to protect North Atlantic Right Whales in Canadian waters	2025-03-20

Past fishery notices related to North Atlantic right whales

• 2024
• 2023

Impacted fisheries

Some fisheries could be impacted by right whale measures:

• whelk
• lobster
• rock crab
• toad crab
• snow crab
• cod (fixed gear)
• herring (gillnets)
• mackerel (gillnets)
• Atlantic halibut (fixed gear)
• winter flounder (fixed gear)
• Greenland halibut (fixed gear)

Related links

• Working with our partners
• Whale Insight
• Report a sighting or incident
• Infographic: Protecting North Atlantic right whale
• Protecting whales
• GPX Guide