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SC/69B/HIM/02
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Resource ID
22095
Access
Open
Document Number
SC/69B/HIM/02
Full Title
U.S. Efforts to Develop On-Demand Fishing Gear Technology 2023-2024 Updates
Author
Gahm, M., Long, Kj, Et Al.
Authors Summary
The U.S. has implemented various mitigation measures to reduce entanglement risk of North Atlantic right whales, including time area vertical line closures where fixed gear (i.e., trap/pot and gillnet) fisheries that use vertical buoy lines are prohibited. One emerging solution that has the potential to reduce risk to whales while allowing fishermen to harvest fish and shellfish during buoy line closures is on-demand fishing (also known as ropeless, buoyless, or pop-up) without persistent vertical buoy lines. These systems provide fishermen the opportunity to harvest in closed areas, and reduce entanglement risk by decreasing the amount of vertical line in the water. At the direction and support of the U.S. Congress, the U.S. has established efforts and continues to work collaboratively with the commercial fishing industry, researchers, government, and non-government organizations (NGOs) to develop and test on-demand systems from various manufacturers under commercial fishing conditions. In 2024, the NOAA Gear Library of on-demand systems that are lent to fishermen has grown to include 480 systems from ten different manufacturers, compared to 270 systems available in February 2023 and 178 systems available in January 2022. To effectively implement on-demand fishing, fishermen, managers, enforcement, and other ocean users require near real-time access to subsurface gear locations and other metadata to reduce fishing gear conflicts. NOAA Fisheries is working on integrating geolocation of deployed on-demand fishing systems through collaborations with the EarthRanger program at the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence and on-demand gear manufacturers. In 2023, NOAA Fisheries and partners held an On-Demand Interoperability Workshop to convene experts and facilitate developing standards for acoustic communications and data standards.
Publisher
IWC
Publication Year
2024
Abstract
Bycatch in fishing gear is a leading source of human-caused mortality for marine mammals. Large whales, such as North Atlantic right whales, which are listed as endangered in the United States under the Endangered Species Act, become entangled in vertical lines associated with fixed gear fisheries. The U.S. has implemented various mitigation measures to reduce entanglement risk, including time area vertical line closures where fixed gear (i.e., trap/pot and gillnet) fisheries that use vertical buoy lines are prohibited. One emerging solution that has the potential to reduce risk to whales while allowing fishermen to harvest fish and shellfish during buoy line closures is on-demand fishing (also known as ropeless, buoyless, or pop-up) without persistent vertical buoy lines. These systems provide fishermen the opportunity to harvest in closed areas, and reduce entanglement risk by decreasing the amount of vertical line in the water. At the direction and support of the U.S. Congress, the U.S. has established efforts and continues to work collaboratively with the commercial fishing industry, researchers, government, and non-government organizations (NGOs) to develop and test on-demand systems from various manufacturers under commercial fishing conditions. With these collaborative and iterative efforts, on-demand gear technology is improving and could reduce entanglement risk and allow fishing to continue in locations with high whale abundance.