Working with Northeastern United States lobster harvesters to develop acoustic trap retrieval in place of buoys and persistent vertical lines to reduce whale entanglements

Vertical buoy lines (VBLs) between surface markers and bottom fishing gear frequently entangle large whales. These lethal and sublethal entanglements inhibit North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) recovery. Consequently, the use of persistent VBLs in situations of high entanglement risk off the east coasts of the USA and Canada is periodically prohibited. On demand, acoustic recovery systems make it possible to remove persistent VBLs, reducing entanglement risk, and potentially allowing fisheries to operate in such areas. To address concerns about performance, reliability, and safety, we evaluated numerous on-demand systems under normal fishing conditions. In 2020, conservationists, scientists, engineers, and lobster harvesters designed an experiment to trial on-demand systems in the New England offshore fisheries, using an open and honest dialogue while maintaining the confidentiality of data such as fishing locations. Between 2020 and 2023, 38 captains and their crews completed 5798 hauls using 431 on-demand units representing 10 different prototypes from multiple manufacturers. The geographic area expanded from limited offshore areas in 2020 to inshore, nearshore, and offshore waters in four different lobster management areas in 2022 and 2023. Trawl lengths ranged from 1 to 100 traps per trawl. Recovery success increased from 64% to 90% of hauls through the trials, although challenges remain, especially when fishing in deep waters or high current and tide locales. A parallel study is underway in Canada. The ability to ensure sustainable fisheries while significantly reducing entanglement risk is becoming a reality, with snow crabs and lobsters being sold in Canada and lobsters and Jonah crabs in the USA that were caught using experimental fishing permits and on-demand systems primarily in areas where persistent VBLs are seasonally prohibited for whale conservation.