What we heard report

A summary of comments from the Ministerial Roundtable on North Atlantic Right Whales

Introduction

The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, hosted a Roundtable on North Atlantic Right Whales in Moncton, New Brunswick on November 9, 2017. It was an opportunity for the Minister to listen to a wide variety of stakeholders and to find solutions to protect the North Atlantic Right Whale, a critically endangered species.

The Minister’s roundtable was attended by representatives of: fishers and fishing organizations; marine transportation industries; cruise lines; ferry associations; Indigenous peoples; whale experts and scientists; and the provinces of New Brunswick, Quebec, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador; and the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. All came together to have an open dialogue on how to protect the North Atlantic Right Whale (NARW).

The collective expertise, feedback and ideas gathered will help the Government of Canada develop and implement measures that aim to reduce the impact of human activity on right whales in 2018 and beyond. This roundtable is one part of a comprehensive approach to ensure these marine mammals are protected for future generations.

The following objectives were set for the Ministerial Roundtable:

• Find solutions by working together to reduce the interactions between the North Atlantic Right Whale and humans.
• Promote further dialogue to improve our shared understanding of the complex issues and shared responsibilities among stakeholders with respect to protecting and conserving the right whales.
• Identify the relationships, partnerships and governance elements required to protect and conserve the right whales by taking into account the respective roles and responsibilities, and cooperative research opportunities.