Saving Seafood

More fishing rules may change to protect whales

August 18, 2021 — In its first phase of recommended actions to help protect the endangered North Atlantic right whale, the federal Large Whale Take Reduction Team instituted sweeping changes in the rules governing the Northeast lobster and Jonah crab fisheries to help reduce gear entanglements.

Now, the team is turning its attention to other fisheries in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic as its begins the second phase of rule-making to establish wide protections for right whales, other whales and sea turtles.

NOAA Fisheries filed notice on Aug. 11 of its intent to prepare an environmental impact statement and request public comment as vanguard steps toward amending the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan to help the species rebound from its current decline.

The second phase is expected to significantly impact a number of commercial gillnet fisheries in New England and elsewhere along the East Coast, including monkfish, spiny dogfish, skate and other groundfish fisheries.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Lobster boat tracking coming to protect whales, fishery

August 16, 2021 — America’s lobster fishing businesses could be subjected to electronic tracking requirements to try to protect vulnerable right whales and get a better idea of the population of the valuable crustaceans.

An arm of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, an interstate regulatory authority, said this month it is considering implementing the tracking requirements for lobster boats that have federal permits. The rules would also apply to boats that harvest Jonah crabs, which are the subject of another important New England fishery.

The tracking devices would record the location of the vessel while it is fishing, said Caitlin Starks, a fishery management plan coordinator with the commission. That would provide regulators with better data to get an idea of where in the ocean lobsters are located, she said.

The new rules could also help protect North Atlantic right whales, which number only about 360, Starks said. The whales are vulnerable to entanglement in fishing gear, which can cause them to drown. They’ve been listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act for more than 50 years and have suffered poor reproduction and high mortality in recent years.

New federal rules are coming to the lobster fishery soon to help protect the whales. Federal officials have said they will focus on reducing the number of vertical ropes in the water. They’re also expected to modify restricted areas of ocean.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at The Seattle Times

Safe Boating Means Safe Fishing. Avoid Whales.

August 12, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The Atlantic Large Whale Disentanglement Network has received an uptick in reports of humpback whales hooked or entangled in monofilament and tuna fishing gear. This notice is to remind boaters and fishermen that fishing too closely to whales is dangerous for you, your passengers, and the whales. Getting too close can result in whales being struck, vessels damaged, and gear loss when whales get entangled or hooked in fishing gear. Additionally, injuring or potentially injuring a whale is a violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the federal law that protects all marine mammals from human activity that negatively impacts their ability to live and thrive naturally.

While many monofilament entanglements are shed over time, some of these entanglements can be detrimental to the animals. Any puncture of the skin in the marine environment leaves vulnerable animals open to infection— particularly stressed animals that have had previous entanglements or injuries, and calves.

Experienced fishermen don’t troll or cast near feeding whales, because they know tuna aren’t going to get caught up in the bubble clouds or aggregations of feeding whales. These fishermen know that approaching humpback whales* closer than 100-300 feet is not worth the risk.  If you happen to hook a whale with your gear or hit one with your boat, report it right away to NOAA’s Greater Atlantic Marine Animal Reporting Hotline: 866-755-NOAA (6622) or to the US Coast Guard.

*North Atlantic right whales are protected by federal regulations that prohibit vessels from approaching within 500 yards (1500 feet) of right whales, with limited exceptions. If a right whale is sighted within the 500 yard buffer, then the vessel must depart the area immediately unless they are a commercial fishing vessel in the act of hauling back gear.

Read the full release here

Right whale advocates’ billboard asks if lobster is “whale-safe” 

August 10, 2021 — As drivers head through Massachusetts to Vacationland on their way to scenic Mount Desert Island and the wonders of Acadia National Park, they may see a sight that would get a lobsterman’s blood boiling.   

Mainers Guarding Right Whales, a nonprofit organization that says its mission is to help save the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale from extinction, has launched a new campaign with a billboard that asks, “Is your lobster whale-safe?”   

Readers are prompted to text a number that tells them that there is no certification program that ensures Maine lobster is “whale-safe” and that the organization calls for the implementation of “ropeless” fishing, a technology that takes vertical ropes out of the water column. The technology has not made its way to wide commercial use.    

“We believe if we can educate and inform travelers about the near extinction of right whales and the cause, they will take action and help protect the whales,” said Barbara Skapa, the founder and executive director of Mainers Guarding Right Whales. “The fishing industry in Maine has a long history of adapting to change in the face of new challenges, and we believe with the right support it will do just that. The biggest challenge is that ropeless technology is costly and requires sustained governmental subsidization to equip Maine’s lobster fisheries.”  

Read the full story at the Mount Desert Islander

Speeding ships in the Chesapeake Bay endanger rare right whales, environmentalists report

August 9, 2021 — Most ships moving through the Chesapeake Bay don’t slow down as required to protect the endangered North Atlantic right whale, environmentalists said in a new report.

About 64% of vessels in the area don’t comply with speed rules designed to allow boat drivers to see and veer around the whales susceptible to strikes — sometimes going up to four times the required speed, according to the report released recently by conservation nonprofit Oceana. Cargo ships were the worst offenders.

There are fewer than 400 North Atlantic right whales left, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, making them one of the most endangered marine mammals on the planet.

They were named for being the “right whale” to kill during the whaling era, said Whitney Webber, Oceana’s campaign director. They were easy to pursue and their thick layer of blubber — used for oil — kept them afloat after killing, according to the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium.

Read the full story at The Virginian-Pilot

JESSICA HATHAWAY: Bad bait: Right whale group gets it wrong

August 6, 2021 — Can a marine animal rights group do its best work from the side of the highway? One thing that’s sure is Mainers Guarding Right Whales’ new billboard campaign is garnering some attention this week. The downside is that the spotlight is coming with a big helping of side eye.

The campaign is aimed at tourists heading to Maine, ostensibly to inform them that “lobster dinners at seaside harbors come at a steep price to North Atlantic right whales,” according to the organization. The Maine-based group posted roadside signs in Massachusetts to launch the campaign, because billboards are not legal in Maine. It also recommends buying lobster from divers, which also is not legal in the state.

Once again, the target of a group proclaiming a goal of “guarding” the dwindling North Atlantic Right Whale population zeroes in on Maine lobstermen for no apparent reason.

Read the full opinion piece at National Fisherman

Researchers test ropeless fishing

August 5, 2021 — To cut down the chances of whale entanglement with fishing gear, researchers and developers are testing technology that would eliminate the need for the vertical lines that run between lobster traps on the seafloor and buoys bobbing on the surface.

Lobstermen are facing tighter restrictions to help with the recovery of the endangered North Atlantic right whales and so-called “ropeless” fishing is seen as one of the potential ways to ease that burden.

Traditionally, lobstermen have a buoy on the surface to mark their string of traps on the ocean floor, and they are connected by a vertical line. Ropeless fishing would ditch the persistent vertical line that sits in the water.

“We’re in a place where we’re still testing and doing research to see how much this can be part of the solution,” said Zack Klyver, the science director at Blue Planet Strategies. With his company, Klyver is working with gillnet fishermen and is looking for Maine lobstermen who might be interested in testing out the technology. “We’re actively looking for lobster fishermen that want to be pioneers, that want to see if this can be part of the solution.”

There are currently two main types of ropeless fishing. One is a trap-like cage that has a rope stowed inside. A lobsterman can trigger the release of the buoy, bringing the rope to the surface. The second type includes a lift bag in the trap. It blows up like a balloon on demand, bringing the trap along with it.

Read the full story at the Mount Desert Islander

More endangered right whales using New England wind energy areas

August 4, 2021 — North Atlantic right whales, one of the most endangered species in the world, are spending more time in southern New England waters where immense offshore wind energy installations are to be built.

A new analysis, published in the July 29 edition of the journal Endangered Species Research, shows how measures to protect the whale population – estimated at only around 366 animals – will be crucial if the Biden administration’s drive to develop offshore wind is to succeed.

“We found that right whale use of the region increased during the last decade, and since 2017 whales have been sighted there nearly every month, with large aggregations occurring during the winter and spring,” said Tim Cole, lead of the whale aerial survey team at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center and a co-author of the study, in a summary of the findings issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Marine mammal researchers at the New England Aquarium and colleagues at NEFSC and the Center for Coastal Studies examined aerial survey data collected between 2011–2015 and 2017–2019 to quantify right whale distribution, residency, demographics, and movements in the region.

The New England Aquarium used systematic aerial surveys, and NEFSC and the Center for Coastal Studies directed surveys conducted in areas where right whales were present, to document aggregations of right whales. Aerial photographs of individual right whales to help estimate the whales’ abundance and residency times, and the photos identify individual whales by distinctive patches of raised tissue on their head, lips, and chin, and by scars on their body.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

New ‘slow zone’ to protect rare whales off Massachusetts

August 4, 2021 — The federal government has announced a new voluntary speed restriction zone to try to protect rare whales off the Massachusetts coast.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the new “slow zone” is located southeast of Nantucket and began on Aug. 1. It’s in effect through Aug. 16.

The zone is designed to protect North Atlantic right whales, which number only about 360.

The agency is asking mariners to route around the area entirely or transit through it at 10 knots (11.5 miles per hour) or less.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Gloucester Daily Times

Nonprofit launches “Is your lobster whale-safe?” campaign

August 3, 2021 — Nonprofit organization Mainers Guarding Right Whales has launched a campaign featuring advertisements and a billboard that asks “Is your lobster whale-safe?”

The billboard is located along roadways in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and is targeted at travelers heading into the nearby state of Maine (billboards along roadways are banned in Maine). The billboard, according to the organization, is intended to inform travelers that “lobster dinners at seaside harbors come at a steep price to North Atlantic right whales.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source