November 2018

Type Species Distribution Population Bycatch Threat IUCN Status White-chinned petrel Bird Procellaria aequinoctialis Southern Ocean between the tropics and Antarctica ~ 3 million Longlines, trawls, gillnets Vulnerable Black-browed albatross Bird Thalassarche melanophrys Subtropical to polar waters 1.15 million (593,447 breeding pairs) Longlines, trawls Endangered Chatham Albatross Bird Thalassarche eremita Southeast Pacific; breeds only in a […]

The Consortium for Wildlife Bycatch Reduction consists of Blue Water Fishermen’s Association, Duke University, Maine Lobstermen’s Association, New England Aquarium, and University of New Hampshire. Administered out of the New England Aquarium, the Consortium supports collaborative research between scientists and the fishing industry to identify practical bycatch reduction solutions for endangered species. The Consortium’s  focus is […]

Most bycatch reduction techniques so far implemented around the world have been in commercial fisheries within developed countries, which have relatively strong regulatory and enforcement capacity, and that generally can absorb increased expenses or reduced revenue from regulated modifications to fishing methods. For several years, the NEAq has been working with local fishermen, the Argentinian […]

Submitted by mcho on June 28, 2018 – 11:33 The Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium, in collaboration with the Global Bycatch Exchange and the National Marine Fisheries Service Office of International Affairs and Seafood Inspection, is pleased to announce the availability of funding to support capacity building in developing […]

Many species of elasmobranchs (sharks and rays) are incidentally caught in pelagic longline fisheries. Sometimes shark bycatch exceeds the amount of target fish that is caught (e.g. tuna).  An array of recent studies have shown that some species of sharks have an aversion resonse to certain electromagnetic metals, alloys, and strong magnets. This is a […]

The Consortium supports collaborative research between science and the fishing industry to identify practical bycatch reduction solutions for endangered species. Research and development of bycatch reduction devices. Understanding interactions between non-target species and fishing operations Reducing bycatch by changing policy

The University of North Carolina Wilmington conducted tests on common commercially available longline hooks to measure the force required to pull the hooks through the soft and hard tissues of short-finned pilot whales, Risso’s dolphins, and false killer whales. The researchers found that the different materials the hooks were made of influenced how they bent […]

The North Atlantic right whale, a species restricted to the coastal northwest Atlantic, numbers fewer than 440 individuals and has been declining since 2010 (Pace et al. 2017; Pettis et al. 2017). Entanglement in fishing gear, especially in fixed gear like pots and gillnets, is the leading cause of human-induced mortality and serious injury, occurring […]

See global map of acoustic deterrent studies Tim Werner, Bycatch Consortium and NEAq US National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of International Affairs US National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of International Affairs Fishing Gear Modifications