Fishing with Care: Innovation to Reduce Bycatch

North Atlantic right whales have faced an unusual mortality in large numbers since 2017, and deaths are outpacing births. Of the 370 North Atlantic right whales left in the wild, many of them still face the daily threat of bycatch and other forms of human interference in the ocean environment.

Bycatch happens when any marine creatures that fishermen were not intending to catch get caught in fishing lines, rope, nets, gear etc. This unintentional consequence is still a significant concern across the ocean environment. WWF estimates indicate that over 40% of global marine catch can be classified as bycatch and protected species, such as sea turtles, right whales and many species of seabirds, which are already vulnerable to existing environmental pressures, are often affected.

NOAA’s Collaborative Approach to Gear Innovation

To address this problem, a team of researchers at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, a subset of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is working directly with the fishing industry to design and test new types of fishing equipment that prevents harm to these protected species.

Megan Amico, a fish biologist and researcher for the Protected Species Gear Research Team of NOAA, explains how developing “ropeless,” or on-demand fishing technologies are proving to drastically reduce North Atlantic right whale entanglement. The work of Amico’s team, guided by the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act, collaborates with industrial and local fishermen throughout New England and stakeholders to ensure that the message is clear: efforts need to be made to reduce harm.

In the debut episode of Oceanography, a new science podcast by Pine Forest Media, Amico joined as an expert guest to detail the challenges at hand, discuss the efforts of her team, and present the measurable benefits their work has had on marine wildlife.

“We’re pretty lucky we have a really broad collaboration with a bunch of different partners around the world. And, you know, there definitely isn’t a one size fits all solution to different fisheries and even within the same fishery in different regions,” Amico said. “But having that kind of global network or even national network is really helpful to share what we’re learning and grow in whatever ways we can to help the fishing industry and protected species.”

Innovative Solutions: From Closed Areas to Smart Technology

One strategy to reduce the entanglement of these whales is implementing closed areas meant to serve as temporary marine protection during periods of high whale traffic. This involves close monitoring of population movements and direct communication with fishing communities.

Ropeless Fishing Technology

Modified on-demand fishing gear is also being developed to reduce whales getting caught or injured by fishing lines that stretch from the surface to the sea floor. For example, Amico explains how lobster cages can be designed with a buoyant rope or a buoy that is only released upon receiving a remote sensing signal. Fishermen can trigger the release of the buoy and collect the traps immediately. This being just one example, these on-demand fishing gears are created to help North Atlantic right whales, but can also help other species on the Protected Species list, such as leatherback turtles.

Turtle Excluder Devices Show Dramatic Results

Turtle excluder devices (TEDs) are also being developed. These innovations operate as a gridded barrier when placed inside the bottom trawler systems, preventing the green ocean icons from getting lost in the large chaos and essentially pushes them back out the opening of the net. These TEDs are producing encouraging results in the North Atlantic. Estimated contacts between loggerhead turtles and dredge gear, for example, have decreased since the creation of these devices, going from around 218 turtles being entangled in the early 2000s, to only one animal in 2014, according to Amico.

Making Innovation Accessible: The Gear Lending Library

Access is another action area for Amico’s team. Fishermen who are interested in obtaining these devices can borrow them through the gear lending library, a collection of ropeless and other on-demand systems. Those fishermen return data on how the gear is implemented into their fishing practices, and get compensated for it. Fishermen partaking in the library range from larger, industrial scales to local and independent individuals.

Looking forward, Amico’s research team is tackling the issue of visibility. Because there are no visual markers or buoys at the surface of the ocean, they are developing ways to make all of the gear at the bottom of the sea visible in one place. This may include creating an app and attaching geolocated tags so that all the gear can be tracked on one localized platform.

The Human Element: Recognizing Fishing Industry Partnership

“I just want to reiterate that this work is only possible due to the hard work and cooperation of the fishermen that we work with. Their patience, dedication, and experience is truly nothing short of incredible. And they work really hard to adapt to the evolving management actions that are constantly being thrown at them,” Amico said. “And also the non-government organizations that contribute gear and funds to our team have been instrumental in the success of this program.”

Fishermen, NOAA researchers and scientists are vital to the health of the ocean and its creatures. Uncertainty lingers, though, due to recent shifts in US government policies and priorities.

Policy Challenges and Future Outlook

In March of this year, The New York Times reported that the NOAA would be cutting staff by 20%, a move prompted by the new US administration. President Trump’s office signaled to the NOAA that they may lose another 1,000 employees, which came after 1,300 employees were already laid off in prior weeks. By May, the NYT updated the workforce cuts by agency, stating that the NOAA had been reduced by 11% so far, with planned employee reductions up to 19%.

Programs such as the Protected Species Gear Research Team could be severely impacted by these layoff incentives by the current administration. While it is not guaranteed that Trump actually has the power to fulfill his complete vision of what exactly he wants to be cut, much damage has already been done. To put it plainly: now is the time to care, and to invest time into these resources.

More information about Megan Amico and the Protected Species Gear Research Team’s efforts to reduce bycatch harm can be found on the NOAA website.

Written By: Madison Linton

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