Entanglement Is the Second Leading Cause of Whale Deaths — The U.S. Is Developing "Ropeless" Lobster Fishing Gear

the Editor says: Whether it's whales, sea turtles, or other marine life, countless precious lives have been lost to entanglement or accidental ingestion of debris. News like this inevitably makes us pause and ask — could these deaths have been prevented? And what can we do about it? <Environmental Information Center, written by: Xie Mingshan compiled and translated>

In September 2022, scientists at an American aquarium discovered that the North Atlantic Right Whale known as "Snow Cone" had been entangled in fishing gear for the fifth confirmed time — though the actual number may be even higher. She was dragging heavy fishing gear and was in extremely poor condition: "moving very slowly, unable to dive, she is in pain, and her chances of survival are very low."

The northeastern United States and the eastern coast of Canada are renowned lobster-producing regions, and they also lie along the migration route of the critically endangered North Atlantic Right Whale, of which fewer than 340 individuals remain. Entanglement in fishing rope, like what happened to Snow Cone, is far from an isolated incident. It is estimated that 86% of right whales have been entangled at some point, making entanglement the second leading cause of death. Measures taken by both governments and civil society have failed to effectively reduce mortality. Companies are now actively developing ropeless fishing gear, but lobster fishers — worried about the impact on their livelihoods — have responded with little enthusiasm.

Entanglement Is the Second Leading Cause of Death for Critically Endangered Whales — Government and Civil Society Responses Fall Short

Lobster traps are placed on the seafloor. To retrieve them, fishers deploy buoys at the surface connected to the traps by ropes. These lines hang vertically in the water column, and right whales passing through can become entangled without warning. Research has found that along right whale migration routes, there are close to one million such vertical ropes. The New England Aquarium has found that 86% of right whales have been entangled, with some individuals entangled as many as eight times.

According to Reuters, both the U.S. and Canadian governments have introduced regulatory measures to address this problem — for example, requiring the use of weak ropes that break when a whale makes contact, using colored ropes for tracking, or banning fishing during right whale migration seasons.

Civil society organizations have also mobilized. In 2022, Seafood Watch placed lobster caught off the coast of Maine and parts of Canada on the "red" list of its sustainable seafood guide, recommending that consumers avoid purchasing it. Whole Foods Market, the largest organic grocery chain in the United States, was among those that joined in the response.

Yet these measures appear insufficient to solve the problem. Official records show that at least four North Atlantic Right Whale entanglement events have occurred this year alone. One whale was discovered off North Carolina and is believed to have become entangled as far away as Nova Scotia, Canada, traveling over 1,000 km southward while dragging the gear.

Ropeless Retrieval Gear Offers Hope Against Whale Entanglement and Ghost Nets

In pursuit of a future where whales and the lobster industry can coexist, several technology developers are working on new "ropeless" fishing gear. Unlike traditional buoys, these systems only allow the buoy to rise to the surface when the trap is being retrieved. In other words, the rope and buoy remain on the seafloor the vast majority of the time.

The Global Seafood Alliance cites EdgeTech, a company based in Massachusetts, as an example. Their system features two-way signaling between the vessel and the underwater unit. The onboard equipment is installed on deck and can receive signals from the seafloor. The underwater unit contains built-in sensors and communication devices, is connected to the fishing gear, and can release the buoy via acoustic commands.

Canadian company Ashored Innovations is also developing a submersible, trackable buoy. The buoy descends along with the lobster gear and surfaces only when needed. The system also records the position of the traps and gear.

EdgeTech has stated that its technology is close to completion, with only final adjustments remaining, and that it expects to produce 100 units per month once fully operational.

NOAA Fisheries has conducted ropeless gear trial programs in Massachusetts and South Island, with 12 fishing vessels participating in the tests — but most in the industry appear unconvinced. Fishers told Reuters that the technology is too expensive, and that if a technical failure occurs, lobster traps worth tens of thousands of dollars could be lost on the seafloor.

References

• Reuters (June 8, 2023), North American lobster industry confronts 'ropeless' traps after whale entanglements
• Global Seafood Alliance (February 21, 2022), Rethinking ropes: Can ropeless fishing gear end whale entanglements?
• NOAA Fisheries, 2023 Northeast Experimental On-Demand Gear System Trials Completed
• New England Aquarium (September 22, 2022), North Atlantic right whale "Snow Cone" sighted entangled in new fishing gear and in extremely poor health

Further reading:

• What Happens on World Oceans Day? Join a Beach and Ocean Cleanup at Waimushan!
• The Mounting Menace of Marine Debris! Analyzing the Global Distribution of Ocean Drift Garbage — An Interview with Cheng Ming-Shiou
• Critically Endangered: Research Reveals the Climate Crisis Facing North Atlantic Right Whales — Moving North to Feed Only to Face New Dangers

This article is republished with permission from the Environmental Information Center. Original title: Entanglement Is the Second Leading Cause of Whale Deaths — The U.S. Is Developing "Ropeless" Lobster Fishing Gear.