New RIB to assist in whale rescues off New Brunswick

The Canadian Whale Institute (CWI) has acquired a new rigid inflatable boat (RIB) that will be used primarily in whale rescue missions in the Gulf of St Lawrence off New Brunswick.

The RIB will be operated out of Shippagan by the Association of Professional Acadian Crab Fishermen (Association des Pecheurs Professionnels Crabiers Acadiens; APPCA).

The CWI said the boat is the first dedicated marine mammal response vessel to operate out of the southern Gulf of St Lawrence. The purchase of the boat was co-financed by the federal government through Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

The RIB has a Simrad radar and is powered by two Mercury outboard engines.