Fundy lobster season delayed by winds, right whale sightings

FREDERICTON, New Brunswick – The opening of the lobster season off southwestern New Brunswick has been delayed by at least a day because of dangerously high winds on the Bay of Fundy.

But a group of endangered North Atlantic right whales lingering in the bay still poses a problem for fishermen waiting to set their traps when the weather clears.

The season originally was set to open Tuesday, but the federal Fisheries Department said it won’t begin until at least Wednesday.

Spokesman Richard Young said the winds could put more than 300 fishermen in danger when they set their traps.

“It’s really a safety issue,” Young said. “And if a boat gets in trouble, then it also puts our search-and-rescue staff at risk. If we can avoid people getting in that situation, all the better.”

Even if the winds calm down, it’s not clear how the whales that have been spotted in the bay will affect Wednesday’s scheduled opening.

The Fisheries Department is concerned that the rare whales, which normally have moved out of the bay and into southern waters by October, could be hurt by hundreds of lobster traps in their way.

But the whales may be moving: as many as 50 were thought to be in the bay last week, 20 were spotted on Saturday and only eight were seen on Monday.

Fisheries officials are considering a range of options if the whales don’t leave, from limiting where fishermen can set their traps to further delaying the start of the season.

“We don’t know if [the whales] are going to decide to head down south like they usually do,” said Young.

The total population of North Atlantic right whales is estimated at 350, including about 80 breeding females.