North Atlantic right whales migrate between waters in southeastern US and the Northeast Atlantic. The area off Georgia and northern Florida has been designated as the North Atlantic Right Whale Critical Habitat Area, as the whale calves in the area during winter months.(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Institute, 2018) As a result, some stationary gears with vertical lines are restricted during these months, presenting real challenges to fishery managers as they try to protect the endangered animals while lessening economic impacts to the region’s fishing industry. Restricting the use of traditional pot gear during these calving months helps protect right whales, but it restricts the ability of fishermen to utilize potentially preferable waters for fishing Black Sea Bass. Developing and testing practical whale-safe gears would resolve the dilemma that faces all of those involved. One option is to develop “ropeless” pot fishing technologies which use no vertical lines during pot fishing.
-Kim Sawicki December 2018.