The federal government, in an attempt to protect ancient cold water corals, is banning all forms of fishing in two areas.
Forty-nine square kilometres in the Jordan Basin 100 kilometres west of Nova Scotia and nine thousand square kilometres
in two underwater canyons — Corsair and Georges canyons near Georges Bank.
The move bans lobster and crab-trap fishing on the bottom, trawl dragging, using a gill net, and hook-and-line
fishing that uses anchors.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans claims the number of fishermen affected by the closure is small.
The protections are part of the federal government commitment to protect 10 per cent of
Canada’s oceans by 2020.
