Consortium for Wildlife Bycatch Reduction

Local lobster fishermen and large whale and fisheries scientists met in Woods Hole to discuss large whale entanglements in fishing gear.

Presentations from the workshop can be viewed here.

We will be at the Northeast Consortium’s conference in Portsmouth, NH to learn about the sucess of collaborative research projects in the region. The Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA) will be presenting a talk entitled, Documenting lobster gear configurations in the Gulf of Maine to help large whales, a project done in collaboration with the Bycatch Consortium. 

In January 2010, the MLA began a process to identify the variety of lobster trap fishing methods in the Gulf of Maine. Through meetings and interviews with lobstermen, the MLA collected information on gear deployment methods,deployment location and seasonality, conducted gear surveys, and discussed which fishing methods might pose the least risk of entanglement to large whales. 

The meeting is free and open to the public. See the full agenda. 
Photo: NOAA Allen Shimada

We will be participating in the Annual Meeting of the North Atlantic Right Whale Research Consortium at the New Bedford Whaling Museum. The Consortium’s mission is to “hold annual meetings at which research, new techniques, management strategies, and other facets of right whale conservation are shared and discussed”.

See the agenda.

Addressing Bycatch in Artisanal Gillnet Fisheries

WORKSHOP REPORT 

The Bycatch Consortium is co-hosting a workshop at the Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals.

Description:

Fisheries bycatch is the principal threat to many marine mammals. In some cases, bycatch reduction devices have been shown to mitigate the bycatch of non-target species, but the scale of the problem outpaces progress in finding solutions. In particular, bycatch in coastal gillnet fisheries is one of the most immediate threats facing many marine mammal species worldwide, including the Gulf of California porpoise (or vaquita, Phocoena sinus), dugong (Dugong dugon) and Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea). While most of the research and development of bycatch reduction methods is focused in developed nations and commercial fisheries, some of the most severe coastal gillnet bycatch challenges are likely to be found in artisanal gillnet fisheries in developing nations. Efforts to address challenges in these coastal regions are stymied by a lack of information on the extent of the bycatch problem and the status of the species affected, as well as by social, cultural and economic factors that can cause artisanal fishing communities to resist implementing mitigation measures. This workshop will convene experts currently working on marine mammal or related bycatch issues in artisanal fisheries in developing nations. Workshop participants will (1) identify key informational needs and initial actions required to address marine mammal bycatch in artisanal gillnet fisheries, (2) identify regions, fisheries, or situations that are ripe for action, and (3) provide recommendations for a follow-on workshop to be held in late 2012 that will focus on catalyzing action to address bycatch in one or more artisanal gillnet fisheries.

Given space restrictions and a desire to facilitate discussion, this workshop is limited to invited participants only. However, if there is additional space the steering committee will consider inviting additional participants. If you are interested and have relevant experience or expertise, please feel free to submit a registration form, and the workshop organizer will contact you if space is available.

Photo: NOAA