Brillant Sean W.

No Thumbnail Available
Last Name
Brillant
First Name
Sean W.
ORCID

Filters

2019 - 2019 1 2020 - 2025 1
1 1
2
Reset filters

Settings

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Preprint
    Ropeless fishing to prevent large whale entanglements: Ropeless Consortium report
    (Elsevier, 2019-06-22) Myers, Hannah J. ; Moore, Michael J. ; Baumgartner, Mark F. ; Brillant, Sean W. ; Katona, Steven K. ; Knowlton, Amy R. ; Morissette, Lyne ; Pettis, Heather M. ; Shester, Geoff ; Werner, Timothy B.
    The 2017 North Atlantic right whale (NARW) unusual mortality event and an increase in humpback whale entanglements off the U.S. West Coast have driven significant interest in ropeless trap/pot fishing. Removing the vertical buoy lines used to mark traps on the sea floor and haul them up would dramatically reduce or eliminate entanglements, the leading cause of NARW mortality, while potentially allowing fishermen to harvest in areas that would otherwise need to be closed to protect whales. At the first annual Ropeless Consortium meeting, researchers, fishing industry representatives, manufacturers, conservationists, and regulators discussed existing and developing technological replacements for the marking and retrieval functions of buoy lines. Fishermen and NGO partners shared their experience demonstrating ropeless systems and provided feedback to improve the designs. U.S. and Canadian federal regulators discussed prospects to use ropeless fishing gear in areas closed to fishing with vertical lines, as well as other options to reduce entanglements, and a Massachusetts official shared additional regulatory considerations involved in ropeless fishing in state waters. Sustainable seafood experts discussed consumer market advantages and endangered, threatened, and protected species impacts in sustainability standards and certifications. Moving forward, there is an immediate need to (1) work with industry partners to iteratively test and improve ropeless retrieval and marking systems to adapt them to the specific conditions of the relevant trap/pot fisheries, (2) create data sharing and communications protocols for ropeless gear location marking, and (3) develop regulatory procedures and enforcement capacity to allow legal ropeless gear use.
  • Technical Report
    Report of the 6th Annual Ropeless Consortium Meeting: continued development and policy impact of on-demand fishing to prevent large whale entanglements
    (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 2025-07) Vezina, Elizabeth J. ; Asmutis-Silvia, Regina A. ; Fuller, Erica A. ; Knowlton, Amy R. ; Pettis, Heather M. ; Baumgartner, Mark F. ; Brillant, Sean W. ; Moore, Michael J.
    Seasonally closed trap fishery areas mitigate large whale entanglement risk. Acoustic retrieval of bottom traps without persistent vertical lines can restore fishery access. Concerns include functionality, cost and operational constraints of acoustically triggered ‘on-demand’ buoyant bottom-stowed line or an inflatable lift bags. Without surface gear attached to a vertical line from the trap(s), virtual gear marking and on-demand gear interoperability remain concerns. U.S.A. east coast lobster and west coast crab, as well as Canadian snow crab have been harvested using on-demand gear in areas otherwise seasonally closed. U.S.A. South Atlantic black sea bass fishery regulations reopened closed areas to on-demand systems. Challenges include bottom gear location estimation and minimizing gear conflict with fixed and mobile gear fisheries. Enforcement solutions include development of a single deck box triggering multiple brands of ondemand gear, and adoption of interoperable acoustic communication standards. Satellite or cellular communication of gear positions between interested vessels must be interoperable between brands of on-demand gear and navigational systems. Policies by which position data will be shared between different user groups are also under discussion. All these facets must be integrated into a regulatory framework in both the U.S.A., and Canada towards sustainability for fisheries and whales globally.