IMPLICATIONS OF HISTORICAL CHANGES IN FIXED FISHING GEAR FOR LARGE WHALE ENTANGLEMENTS IN THE NORTHWEST ATLANTIC
Abstract
North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) are one of the most critically
endangered large whales in the world, with an estimate of 300 animals remaining. Despite
international protection from whaling since 1935 and an endangered status listing
under the
United States Endangered Species Act, this population has been in decline since the
1990s.
Factors hindering recovery include entanglements in fishing gear and ship collisions.
Today,
lobster pots and gillnets are most commonly implicated in large whale entanglements,
especially
those of right and humpback (Megaptera novaeangliae) whales. However, other fixed
fishing
gear presents entanglement risk to large whales, such as crab pots and slime eel gear.
Entanglements typically occur when whales come into contact with lines attached to
the gear;
any body part can be involved.
I present historical data tracking changes in fishing line and fixed fishing gear,
as well as
changes in fishing practices, from the mid-1940s to the present in the Northwest Atlantic.
The
introduction of synthetic materials to the fishing industry in the 1950s, coupled
with government
subsidies and legislation for domestic fishery expansion, led to dramatic increases
in fishing
effort and efficiency. These attempts to promote the development of the U.S. fishing
industry
have created entanglement risk for large whales.
In 2002, eight right and eleven humpback whale entanglements were documented; two
deaths resulted, one of each species. This suggests that existing protective measures
are
inadequate. I briefly examine current regulations and provide suggestions for further
measures
to reduce the conflict between large whales and fixed gear fisheries.
Type
Master's projectSubject
North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis)Endangered Species Act (ESA)
Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae)
Fixed Fishing Gear
Northwest Atlantic
U.S. fishing industry
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/265Citation
Kozuck, Amanda (2003). IMPLICATIONS OF HISTORICAL CHANGES IN FIXED FISHING GEAR FOR LARGE WHALE ENTANGLEMENTS
IN THE NORTHWEST ATLANTIC. Master's project, Duke University. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/265.Collections
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