Dear Colleagues, The following paper was recently published in the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America’s Express Letters, and is available as an open access article here: https://asa.scitation.org/doi/10.1121/10.0005739 Self-localization of buoyless fishing gear and other objects on the sea floor Mark Baumgartner and Jim Partan End lines used in commercial trap/pot fishing pose a significant entanglement risk to whales, sea turtles, and sharks. Removal of these ropes for buoyless fishing is being considered by the United States and Canadian governments, but a method to systematically locate the gear without an attached buoy is required. A method was developed for an acoustic modem to self-localize and broadcast its location to nearby ships to minimize gear conflict, optimize power consumption, and reduce lost gear. This method was implemented using a research modem that self-localized to within 5 m of its estimated location on the sea floor. Mark Baumgartner Senior Scientist Biology Department Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution MS #33, Redfield 256 266 Woods Hole Road Woods Hole, MA 02543 mbaumgartner@whoi.edu <mailto:mbaumgartner@whoi.edu> www.whoi.edu/sites/mbaumgartner <http://www.whoi.edu/sites/mbaumgartner> (508) 289-2678 phone