Lobster fishers face 3rd closure this season after right whale detection off P.E.I. shore

Lobster fishers face 3rd closure this season after right whale detection off P.E.I. shore. Fisheries and Oceans Canada closed parts of two lobster fishing areas off Prince Edward Island’s North Shore due to the sighting of a North Atlantic right whale near the island’s northeastern shore, affecting about 100 boats. Fishermen must remove their gear by 5 p.m. Thursday and relocate traps closer to shore for at least two weeks. Ian MacPherson, executive director of the P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association, says six weeks of closures have already pared the eight‑week spring season, and extensions may be requested. Some fishers advocate smaller grid sizes to reduce impacts in future closures, a topic likely to come up again this winter as season ends.