The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has closed part of the Bay of Fundy after five endangered North Atlantic right whales were spotted in the area.
The area near Grand Manan Island has been closed to all fixed-gear fisheries, DFO announced in a tweet on Thursday.
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The measures came into effect at 5 p.m. and will remain in place until further notice.
Earlier this week, the federal government announced it will be contributing $8.3 million in an attempt to reel in lost, abandoned and discarded fishing equipment in Canadian waters.
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According to the DFO, about 640,000 tonnes of fishing equipment ends up in oceans annually and can harm the endangered North Atlantic right whale.
The death toll of North Atlantic right whales has reached eight this year, with several of the deaths being blamed on collisions with vessels or entanglement with fishing gear.