Myers Hannah J.

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Myers
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Hannah J.
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  • Preprint
    Reducing effort in the U.S. American lobster (Homarus americanus) fishery to prevent North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) entanglements may support higher profits and long-term sustainability
    ( 2019-11) Myers, Hannah J. ; Moore, Michael J.
    North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) feed and migrate in areas of the inshore and offshore trap fishery for American lobster (Homarus americanus) in the Northeast U.S. In addition to a recent increase in lethal and sub-lethal interactions with Canadian snow crab gear, entanglement in both Canadian and U.S. lobster trap gear threatens the continued existence of this endangered species. The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service is considering a number of measures to prevent right whale entanglement bycatch that could impact lobster fishing effort. The U.S. lobster fishery in Maine expends approximately 7.5 times as much effort as the Canadian fishery in Lobster Fishing Area 34, where fishers catch about 3.7 times more lobster per trap than Maine fishers. From 2007 to 2013 in Maine, lobster landings doubled as the number of traps fell 10.5 percent and landings per trap increased by about 125 percent. The state of Massachusetts has achieved record high landings since trap/pot seasonal closures have been implemented to protect right whales, especially within the Statistical Reporting Areas most affected by the closures. Therefore, a negative economic impact should not be assumed with effort reduction. In fact, reducing effort may serve to increase fishing profits while supporting the protection of endangered North Atlantic right whales and the long-term sustainability of the lobster fishery.
  • 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.