Active Forum Topics

Reducing sea turtle bycatch in the Mediterranean mixed demersal fisheries

Submitted by rmalloy on

Incidental catch of the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) in the Mediterranean basin is the main threat to its conservation. In this basin, fisheries are multi-species, multi-gears and multi-national, making demersal fishing activities profitable, while preserving sea turtles is a challange. In this study, scientists developed bycatch reducer devices and alternative fishing gears to mitigate the impact of demersal fishing gears on seaturtles.

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Tangled and drowned: a global review of penguin bycatch in fisheries

Submitted by rmalloy on

Penguins are one of the most threatened groups of seabirds, with 10 of the world’s 18 species listed as Vulnerable or Endangered on the IUCN Red List. At-sea threats, such as the bycatch of penguins in fishing gear has been the subject of few directed studies and has not been fully assessed. In this literature review, researchers assess which species and fishing gear are largest contributers to penguins globally.

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Industry-based development of effective new seabird mitigation devices in the southern Australian trawl fisheries

Submitted by rmalloy on

Fishing-related seabird mortalities are considered the most pervasive threat to seabird conservation status. Specifically, warp wire interactions (warp strike) and net captures of trawl vessels in Australia’s Commonwealth-managed Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark fisheries has been identified as a growing concern. This paper describes an industry-led study that developed and tested the effectiveness of 2 experimental mitigation devices for trawl vessels: a "baffler" and a "water sprayer".

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Trends in fishery-dependent captures of sea turtles in a western North Atlantic foraging region

Submitted by rmalloy on

Although counting nesting females and nests has been widely used to assess sea turtle abundance, surveys of in-water populations can provide a more effective means of measuring the success of recovery actions. Here, the bycatch of turtles recorded in observer data from fishing trips in the Pamlico-Albemarle Estuarine Complex, North Carolina, in 1995−1997, 2001−2003, and 2007−2009 was leveraged to idenitfy changes in species composition and overall abundance throughut the three different fishing periods.

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Pingers reduce the activity of Burmeister's porpoises around small-scale gillnet vessels

Submitted by lweiss on

This study investigated the effect of acoustic pingers on the behavior of Burmeister's porpoise (Phocoena spinipinnis) in the vicinity of the Peruvian small-scale driftnet fleet. Over a 4-yr period (2009-2012), 116 control (without pingers) and 94 experimental (with pingers) fishing sets were observed, and porpoise acoustic activity around nets was recorded using passive acoustic loggers (C-PODs). In regions of preferred habitat associated with cooler (17-18 C), shallow waters (within the 100 m.

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Development and Evaluation of Reduced Breaking Strength Rope to Reduce Large Whale Entanglement Severity

Submitted by rmalloy on

1,700 lbf prototypes were developed and tested both in a lab and at sea to determine their fishing practicality. Use of these ropes have been documented as a strategy for reducing the incidence and severity of large whale entanglements in lobster pot buoy lines. Additionally, modeling work was carried out to assess the tensions placed on ropes when hauling gear in normal fishing operations and to evaluate what forces a whale might put on gear during an entanglement.

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Development and Evaluation of Reduced Breaking Strength Rope to Reduce Large Whale Entanglement Severity

Study Type
Field study in the wild
Location
New England
Target catch
Lobster, Whelk, Black Sea Bass
Effect on bycatch species
Indeterminate given rarity of encounters
Effect on target catch
None
Reduction technique
Fishing Gear

Development and Evaluation of Reduced Breaking Strength Rope to Reduce Large Whale Entanglement Severity

Study Type
Field study in the wild
Location
New England
Target catch
Lobster, Whelk, Black Sea Bass
Effect on bycatch species
Indeterminate given rarity of encounters
Effect on target catch
None
Reduction technique
Fishing Gear

Development and Evaluation of Reduced Breaking Strength Rope to Reduce Large Whale Entanglement Severity

Study Type
Field study in the wild
Location
New England
Target catch
Lobster, Whelk, Black Sea Bass
Effect on bycatch species
Indeterminate given rarity of encounters
Effect on target catch
None
Reduction technique
Fishing Gear

Expert Meeting to Develop Technical Guidelines to Reduce Bycatch of Marine Mammals in Fisheries

Date

The United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organization convened experts, including Consortium scientists, to produce technical guidelines on how to best prevent and mitigate marine mammal bycatch in fisheries. The draft report was reviewed and adopted by participants at the FAO “Expert meeting on the development of technical guidelines to reduce bycatch of marine mammals in fisheries”, on 17-19 September 2019 in Rome, Italy.

North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium 2019 Annual Meeting

Date

The North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium's 2019 annual meeting is November 14-15, 2019. At this meeting, various stakeholders convene to discuss and share research, new techniques, management strategies, and other facets of right whale conservation. This is the only opportunity for this gathering and sharing of information and so is invaluable to the conservation of the species. For more information, visit www.narwc.org.