North Atlantic Right Whale - Notice of temporary prohibited fishing grid(s) GW44, GW45, GW46, GX44, GX45, GX46, GY44, GY45, GY46

May 13, 2024 – Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is providing notice of grid status updates related to North Atlantic Right Whale (NARW). The information presented herein is consistent with the 2024 NARW management measures previously announced by DFO.

All times listed in this document are in Atlantic Daylight Time (ADT).

New updates are in effect in the following waters (refer to the corresponding annex for details):

• Prohibited fishing grid(s) in the Gulf of St Lawrence - Annex 1

All NARW related prohibited fishing grids currently in effect in Canadian waters are provided in the following corresponding annexes:

• Annex 1 – for the Gulf of St Lawrence
• Annex 2 – for the Bay of Fundy
• Annex 3 – for the Roseway Basin Critical Habitat
• Annex 4 – for all waters outside of the dynamic or critical habitat areas

DFO asks licence holders to be vigilant during fishing activities concerning the presence of NARW. Furthermore, please be reminded that it is the responsibility of the licence holder and operator to take into account the marine safety notices issued, amongst others, by Environment and Climate Change Canada and Transport Canada, as well as the standards and best practices in marine safety, and to take all measures to ensure safe fishing operations.

Any reference to the term “Notice” in this document means this “Notice to Fish Harvesters”. The Notice to Fish Harvesters, including its annexes, is provided for information purposes only. In case of discrepancy between the information in the Notice to Fish Harvester and the Notice on the Orders Registry System, the latter will prevail. For more detailed information please visit the order registry for your region.

Coordinates

* Area enclosed by rhumb lines (similar to straight lines plotted on a nautical chart) joining the points listed above in the order they are listed. Point references are based on the geodesic system North American Datum 1983 (NAD83). Positions are expressed in degrees, minutes and seconds.