Prince Edward Island Fishermen's Assoc.

Another North Atlantic Right Whale has been detected and will be impacting an area outside the 20-fathom line in Western LFA 24 fishery (Grids HD38, HD39, HD40).

***2026 NARW Update – Additional closures western LFA 24 – Updated June 9^th, 2026***

The closure, announced today, with Fishing prohibitions to commence on June 11th, 2026, at 5:00 p.m., DOES affect the PEI lobster fisheries if you are fishing deeper than the 20-fathom line in the closure area.

All affected gear must be removed from the prohibited fishing area before the specified time. No resetting of gear and no new gear is permitted to be set in the water after the DFO Notice is issued. In other words, if you haul your gear, it must be moved. If you are inside the 20-fathom line, you do not need to make any changes as the whale is outside the 20-fathom line. DFO has provided a .GPX file if you wish to upload the closure area on your plotter.

REMINDER: the Shallow water Pilot Project only takes effect inside the 20-fathom line, so it is mandatory to remove gear outside that line. PEIFA will continue to keep a close eye on closures and share on Facebook and the website, when necessary, throughout the 2026 season.

The image attached shows the location of whale closures set to commence on June 11th, 2026 5:00pm.

For the full DFO notice to fishers is attached, please click here.