No. A017/02
For release - December 19, 2002

Bay of Fundy Shipping Lanes Moved to Protect Right Whale

The new lanes will become effective on July 1, 2003 following the necessary amendments to the navigational charts and vessel traffic control procedures, as well as the completion of distribution and notification procedures. As a result, the additional protection for the right whales provided by the lane changes will be in place prior to their expected seasonal return to Fundy waters in the summer of 2003.

"The Government of Canada has created new safe and effective shipping lanes which will reduce the likelihood of a Right Whale suffering a ship strike in the Bay of Fundy by up to eighty percent," said Mr. Collenette. "Many groups with varied interests came together to help create what is believed to be the world's first ship strike sensitive shipping lanes."

The new lanes will help to protect the right whale by organizing the ship traffic flow in and around an area where the right whale densities are the greatest.

"The new lanes are part of the Government of Canada's Right Whale Recovery Plan, led by Fisheries and Oceans, to promote the viability of this majestically passive but threatened mammal," said Mr. Thibault. "The Right Whale Recovery Plan, implemented in 2000, identified a number of measures to reduce human impact on this endangered whale. Changes in the shipping lanes is one of these measures and is a major step forward in helping the marine mammal recover."

A Working Group on Ship Strikes co-chaired by Transport Canada and the Canadian Whale Institute, and including representatives from the shipping, fishing and whale watching communities, determined that this approach would be the most effective in reducing strikes and maintaining safe commercial marine operations.

The new shipping lanes are based on considerable scientific whale research and were reviewed by several marine industry stakeholders and experts to ensure safety would be maintained.

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