ATLANTIC

U.S. officials say fisherman need to use less gear to help protect North Atlantic right whales

The Associated Press Published Sunday, April 28, 2019 10:49AM ADT

In this March 28, 2018, file photo, a North Atlantic right whale appears at the surface of Cape Cod bay off the coast of Plymouth, Mass. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)

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Officials in the United States say the amount of gear Maine lobster fishermen put in the water must be reduced to protect North Atlantic right whales.

A team from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration wrapped up several days of discussion Friday about ways to reduce injuries and deaths caused when North Atlantic right whales get entangled in fishing gear.

In this decade, the number of North Atlantic right whales has decreased to about 411 today.

Fishermen in Atlantic Canada have been under strict new rules for the last year in an effort to protect the whales.