THE CANADIAN government has lifted speed restrictions meant to protect whales in the Gulf of St. Lawrence after finding that the policy has been pushing ships closer to the endangered mammals, reports the Canadian Press.
This news comes as the Panama Canal has imposed a 10-knot speed limit the behest of the UN's International Maritime Organisation (IMO) on ships approaching the canal.
The Canadians found that there weren't any whales in the shipping lanes where speed had been reduced, adding that the lower speed limit had driven cargo ships out of these lanes and into more direct routes along which whales gathered.
Transport Canada said it hopes that raising the speed limit will push ships back into the lanes.
Transport Canada said it came to the decision after its aerial surveillance team spent 240 hours flying over the gulf over the past month, scouring the waters for whales.
2019/8/7 7:55:16