US considers auditing Canada’s efforts to protect endangered whales
Portland, Maine/Ottawa, May 2 (IBNS): National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was asked by a group of Democratic senators, led by Sen. Edward Markey of Massachusetts, that the United States should audit the job Canada is doing to protect endangered whales, media reports said.
Citing the grim status of North Atlantic right whales as a reason to put some pressure on Canada, the senators out of the total number 450 there were 17 deaths in 2017, and 12 of the deaths were in Canada.
The U.S. imported more than $3.3 billion worth of Canadian seafood in 2017.
In an April 25 letter to the NOAA the senator said that the agency should conduct a review of Canada’s right whale conservation standards, and prohibit some Canadian seafood imports if they are too weak.
After a deadly year, U.S. officials warn that right whales could soon become extinct.
Canada believes it’s making a lot of strides to protect the whales, and also wants to avoid negative effects on the countries’ trade relationship, said Lauren Sankey, a spokeswoman for Fisheries and Oceans Canada (FAOC).
Considering two of the biggest threats to right whales are entanglement in fishing gear and collisions with large ships, Sankey added that Canada had just recently introduced new protection measures, such as fishing gear reductions.
(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)
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