Transport Canada has fined a Quebec ferry for breaching the 10-knot speed limit in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

The C-T-M-A Vacancier, which travels between Montreal and the Magdalen Islands, faces a possible six-thousand-dollar fine.

The speed limit, which applies to vessels over 20 metres, was announced in August as part of an effort to prevent further right whale deaths in the gulf.

About a dozen of the endangered animals have turned up dead in Canadian waters this year, and scientists estimate there are only 450 left in the world.