FREDERICTON, New Brunswick – The lobster season off southern New Brunswick was set to begin Wednesday after a one-day delay caused by raging winds and rare whales.

The weather was forecast to improve Wednesday after winds gusting up to 53 mph blew through the area Tuesday, making it unsafe for trap-laden boats to take to the Bay of Fundy.

Representatives with the Department of Fisheries and three fishing industry groups held a conference call Tuesday and agreed on a number of measures to protect the endangered North Atlantic right whales lingering in the bay.

Last week, as many as 50 of the whales were spotted in the bay, but Steve Wilson, an area director with the department, said only about a dozen had yet to begin their migration south.

“Some of them appear to be on the move now, so we’re hoping that over the course of the next few days that the majority of the whales left will move out of the area,” said Wilson. “The fishermen, DFO and others will be monitoring the position of the whales on a daily basis.”

The department has contracted a private airplane to fly a fisheries officer over the area to look for whales during the next five days.

“The fishermen have agreed to not set traps within two kilometers [1.2 miles] of any whale sightings, and the Grand Manan Fishermen’s Association has set up a whale hot line for the fishermen,” said Wilson.

He said those precautions and the kind of gear being used should minimize any risk of whales becoming entangled.

Most fishermen use trawls of 25 traps connected by weighted line that remains on the bottom. Only two lines connect to buoys at the surface.

“I think the fishermen are going with a realistic approach, and I think they’ve significantly reduced the risk of any entanglements,” said Klaus Sonnenberg, general manager of the Grand Manan Fishermen’s Association.

There are about 300 lobster licenses between Saint John and the Maine border, but only about 20 fishermen set traps in the area between Black’s Harbour and Grand Manan Island, where most of the whales have been sighted.

“This is really nothing new to see 10 whales lingering in the area. We’ve had this for years,” said Sonnenberg. “It’s only when we see the concentrations like we saw last week that we get concerned.”