Source: Arctic Now
Author: Nunatsiaq News
Three new marine refuges off Nunavut’s coasts are intended to make “a lasting contribution to marine conservation in Canada” by forbidding the practice of bottom trawling or dragging by fishing boats, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans has announced.
The creation of the refuges or conservation areas, which total seven off the coasts of Nunavut and Newfoundland and Labrador, was announced Dec. 21 by DFO.
The establishment of these refuges, where all bottom-contact fishing activities will be prohibited, is intended to help protect and conserve corals and sponges and other sea life.
This means that bottom trawling, which involves dragging an open fishing net along the sea floor, will be prohibited in these conservation areas.
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