Canada cut short its snow crab fishing season in the Gulf of St Lawrence Friday after a rash of deaths of Right whales caught in fishing gear.

Eight Right whales have been found dead in the Gulf over the past month, the latest on Tuesday, Fisheries and Ocean Canada said.

The department said it was closing an area of the southern gulf because of what it described as an unprecedented number of Right whale deaths.

It had previously closed another area in the Gulf, so Friday's action effectively cut short the snow crab fishing season, although the department said 98 percent of the allowable catch had already been harvested.

"This decision was made in an effort to protect North Atlantic Right whales from risks posed by snow crab fishing gear in the area.

"We understand the impact this could have on fishers," the department. "However, the recent whale mortalities in the area are unprecedented and this closure is an important measure to address the situation."

The Right whale, which can grow to lengths of 59 feet (18 meters,) is an endangered species with fewer than 500 left in the world, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

About two thirds of the population show signs of entanglement, the WWF says.

The latest dead whale was being towed to shore by the Canadian Coast Guard so that a necropsy can be performed to determine the cause of death.

Another Right whale was found later the same day entangled in crab fishing gear, but no action was taken to save it.

The Coast Guard suspended efforts to untangle whales after a volunteer rescuer was struck and killed last week while trying to free a snarled Right whale.

"While the entanglement of a whale is an extremely difficult and distressing situation, our first priority is the safety of those involved in marine mammal response," the department said.

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