This supplement to a 2002 compendium of NOAA large whale entanglement prevention research has newer studies, including investigation of SAM gillnet gear, gillnet weak links and anchoring systems, evaluation of gillnet weak links, and a pilot study of options for reducing vertical line entanglements.
This supplement to a 2002 compendium of NOAA large whale entanglement prevention research provides an overview of recent NMFS gear research and testing of the time tension line cutter.
This report describes a buoyless lobster trap that has an acoustic trigger mechanism. An existing lobster trap would contain all the components except for the transmitter, which consisted of a prototype developed using a Hummingbird Fish Finder.
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. – The persistent, ongoing problem of fishing lines and gear ensnarling whales and other marine mammals has been a major threat worldwide to their survival and recovery from life-threatening injuries for many years and without any definitive solution that is effective and practical for the fishing industry.
The purpose of this project was to determine ways to enhance the performance of sinking groundline, involving three approaches: (1) Reviewing previous research and lobstermen’s experience with sinking groundlines; (2) Recording directly from lobster fishermen of the Gulf of Maine the practical challenges they encountered in converting to sinking groundline; (3) Producing visual observations of actively fished sinking groundline to gain insights into chafing and how it might be reduced.
A study was conducted with humpback whales to test their response to recordings of conspecific social sounds and an artificially generated tone stimulus. Experiments were conducted during humpback whales southward migration along the east coast of Australia. A total of 13 tone experiments, 15 social sound experiments and 3 silent controls were conducted during two field seasons (September/October 2004 and 2008). The results indicated that humpback whales respond differently, with respect to course traveled and dive strategy, to the two stimuli.