On behalf of my co-authors, I am pleased to share our recently published article regarding a collaborative effort to successfully trial on-demand fishing gear in
the Northeast US under normal fishing conditions. We particularly acknowledge the involvement and input from the commercial fishermen whose willingness to trial the gear and provide input to improve its efficacy were instrumental in the success of this project.
Working with Northeastern United States lobster harvesters to develop acoustic trap retrieval in place of buoys and persistent vertical lines to reduce whale entanglements:
Abstract
Vertical buoy lines (VBLs) between surface markers and bottom fishing gear frequently entangle large whales. These lethal and sublethal entanglements inhibit North
Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) recovery. Consequently, the use of persistent VBLs in situations of high entanglement risk off the east coasts of the USA and Canada is periodically prohibited. On demand, acoustic recovery systems make it
possible to remove persistent VBLs, reducing entanglement risk, and potentially allowing fisheries to operate in such areas. To address concerns about performance, reliability, and safety, we evaluated numerous on-demand systems under normal fishing conditions.
In 2020, conservationists, scientists, engineers, and lobster harvesters designed an experiment to trial on-demand systems in the New England offshore fisheries, using an open and honest dialogue while maintaining the confidentiality of data such as fishing
locations. Between 2020 and 2023, 38 captains and their crews completed 5798 hauls using 431 on-demand units representing 10 different prototypes from multiple manufacturers. The geographic area expanded from limited offshore areas in 2020 to inshore, nearshore,
and offshore waters in four different lobster management areas in 2022 and 2023. Trawl lengths ranged from 1 to 100 traps per trawl. Recovery success increased from 64% to 90% of hauls through the trials, although challenges remain, especially when fishing
in deep waters or high current and tide locales. A parallel study is underway in Canada. The ability to ensure sustainable fisheries while significantly reducing entanglement risk is becoming a reality, with snow crabs and lobsters being sold in Canada and
lobsters and Jonah crabs in the USA that were caught using experimental fishing permits and on-demand systems primarily in areas where persistent VBLs are seasonally prohibited for whale conservation.
The full paper is available as an open access doc at
https://academic.oup.com/icesjms/article/82/2/fsaf015/8019485
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WDC, Whale and Dolphin Conservation |
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