Answers to the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team Ropeless Subgroup Feasibility Matrix

Answers to the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team

Ropeless Subgroup Feasibility Matrix

Author: Kim Sawicki Correspondence to: Kim.Sawicki@uconn.edu +44 7840 489378

Contributing authors and collaborators: James A.R. McFarlane, Michael Shegog, John Fiotakis, Rich Riels, Jacob Wolf, Maxwell Poole, Aaron Stevenson, Marco Flagg, Robert Morris, Michael Stocker, Hannah Myers, Edward Wyman, Cormac Hondros-MacCarthy, Ted Zhu, Russ Mullins.

Author’s Note: In the interest of hastening the continued progress of ropeless fishing, in November of 2018, eight companies that have either a mature product or are actively developing ropeless technologies formed an informal working group after the Ropeless Consortium meeting trough which they collaborate and share data through a central researcher.  The author and Fulbright student, affiliated with the University of Connecticut, the University of St. Andrews, and the Marine Institute, has functioned as a liaison for information gathering to answer many of the questions posed by the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction team. That data can be viewed in the full version of this document, available below.

The opinions, calculations, and summary points are those of the author, only, but were the result of conversations, data sharing, and collaboration with many of the above listed parties.  Several of the above mentioned parties were directly quoted in this report and are being listed as coauthors or collaborators.

My Ask: My request to the ALWTRT would be to ensure that the continued development and support of ropeless technologies be included in the rule-making process.

Kim Sawicki-September 2019/2021