Ten cruise ships have cancelled stops in Prince Edward Island’s capital because of speed restrictions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, that were implemented this summer to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales.

Business owners are now feeling the effects of the cancellations which have resulted in the loss of thousands of passengers that usually come into Charlottetown’s waterfront each summer.

“They kind of plan their itineraries around going a certain speed between ports, so when all of a sudden their cruising speeds have been cut almost in half, it's really difficult to keep those times,” says Port Charlottetown business manager, Corryn Clemence.

Popular stops for the cruise ships like Gaspe and Quebec City are also facing tightened schedules and cut stops, while Sydney, Nova Scotia picks up the influx.

In Charlottetown, the cancellations are hitting the hardest as it lost roughly 8,000 tourists this season.

Restaurant owner, Shane Campbell says his business has suffered a blow due to the cancellations.

“I guess it hasn't really sunk in,” Campbell says. “Everyone was pumped to have, I think, 88 ships, obviously we knew we would lose a few due to weather, but when you lose ten that does hurt.”

Shops and restaurants in the historic downtown say they support efforts to keep the whales safe, but admit a tourism slowdown could force them to limit hiring.

“We’re lucky to have a great group of locals and regulars year round, but tourism is what our business is based on,” says restaurant manager, Kiel Vessey. “Without it, we have a much more difficult business to run.”

Representatives from the federal and provincial government will meet with local groups like the Prince Edward Island’s Tourism  Industry Association next week to discuss a strategy for whether the specific speed limits should return next year.

The association’s CEO, Kevin Mouflier says the solution may lie in changing the ships’ routes.

“Perhaps looking at an alternative route that will allow cruise ships to come into Charlottetown because we do have frequent visitation, growing every year, but we don't want to see loss further,” he says.

Officials agree the loss is disappointing, but say Charlottetown is still looking at a strong season, with more than 100,000 tourists expected to flood the streets this season.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Cami Kepke.