Tag: conservation

What I am Thankful for and What We Need to Do.

Posted on by kimsawicki

There are so many things I am grateful for this Thanksgiving.

First and foremost, my family, friends, and dogs. They have supported me unconditionally for the last three years while I travel around two continents, meeting and working with inshore fishing communities. I wrote a blog post back in 2018 that I am acutely aware of today. It’s called, “Spend Some Time With People, Before You Change Their Way of Life.” Well, I have definitely been practicing what I preach, for sure. And while I’ve been doing that, another thing has occurred to me. Spending time with fishing families is good for my soul. It keeps me grounded. The knowledge they are willing to share is impossible to resist; and their intelligence and passion and practical wisdom is unmatched.

They have opened their homes to me and my family. They share their trials and tribulations, as well as their opinions with me. I have had a nearly limitless supply of dogs to cuddle when away from my own and have found fierce supporters who I am equally likely to fight for.

Today is the American holiday of Thanksgiving. It began as a day of “giving thanks and sacrifice for the blessing of the harvest” and of the preceding year. If you are not a fisherman/fisherwoman (That’s for you, Mel!) you may wonder, “How on earth does this relate to “ropeless fishing”?

Well, right now in California, hundreds of Dungeness crabbers (including one of my best friends) are missing a bumper holiday in their short market because of a large concentration of humpback whales who remain in the Gulf of the Farallones. Usually by this time of year the whales have begun their migration away from the area, and the D. Crab season is open for business. This year, the fleet in California will be lucky to make the Christmas market. The loss of just one of these holidays means that California families who traditionally offer D. Crab  as a culturally important part of their Thanksgiving feast will not be able to buy it fresh, if at all. The fishermen and consumers aren’t the only ones missing out. The entire supply chain, from those who supply bait to the fishermen, trap builders, transport companies, wholesalers, retailers, and ALL THE PEOPLE WHO WORK FOR THEM are missing out. The D. Crab fishery is unquestionably the most economically important fishery on the entire West Coast. And they can’t provide product because of the presences of whales and the risk of fishing gear entanglement.

Right now, in the Southeast, one of my friends is probably just getting home after shrimping hard for the last few weeks to make sure that all of us have shrimp cocktail for Thanksgiving. He had problems both with his boat early this season, as well as finding reliable and available crew (He even asked me to crew, but I was on another coast!). He just got going a couple weeks ago and will likely be back working tonight or tomorrow after a quick dinner with his wife and children. He and a few other guys in that area could be pot fishing for black sea bass pulling quick day trips by now, but that fishery has essentially been closed for the last several years due to the risk of entanglement with North Atlantic right whales. That style of fishing was actually invented by shrimpers back in the 1960’s when they realized they would need to find something to help them make it through the winter. The black sea bass pot fishery became known to a lot of Southeast fishermen as the “Christmas” fishery because it was what allowed them to put food on the table and presents under the tree. They would soak their 35 small pots anywhere from a couple hours to a day or two and were able to fish hook and line for other things while the pots were sitting in close to the shore. This was especially important during the winter as it meant they had to use less fuel to get to the gear and could grab it up and bring it in if bad weather was coming- all without really doing anything too risky. They are now missing both the Thanksgiving and Christmas market for that fish, all because North Atlantic right whales are in the area, having babies. There are only 26 fishermen in this fishery, and all told, they only have about 1000 pots between them, the closed area is nearly 15,000 square nautical miles in size, and they have NEVER been implicated in a single interaction or entanglement with any whale species.

Right now, in New England, countless fishermen are banned from lobstering in LMA 1 (>957 square miles). NOAA says this will displace 60 vessels to other areas, which will effect no more than 120 lobstermen. This is patently untrue. It effects each and every fisherman as well as every community that depends on their resource. Lobstering is the second most important economic market in Maine. It employees literally thousands of people, all of whom have families, customers, children, and bills to pay. And right now, thousands of people are being affected by this closure, and are likely missing their Thanksgiving market. All because of the presence of North Atlantic right whales. If you ask any Maine lobsterman, they can tell you that they have not been implicated in a single NARW entanglement since 2012, when they implemented a significant set of gear changes designed to reduce the risk to these whales.

What’s the solution? I have a few ideas.

But last week at the Pacific Marine Expo, I heard both Michael Conroy, President of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA), and Kristan Porter, President of the Maine Lobsterman’s Association (MLA), express their deep concern that if ropeless gear is proven to be effective, that it will be forced upon every pot fisherman in the United States, regardless of whether or not they can afford it.

And I heartily agree with that concern. My work focuses on smaller operations. Inshore, coastal fishing vessels that are crewed by hard-working men and women with families and deep cultural ties to their work and their communities. My work does center around spending time with people before I try to change the way they do things. But it also has brought me to realize something much greater.

It is impossible to work and live among these families and not begin to understand and feel their struggle deeply. These are people who depend on the ocean to provide a bountiful harvest, and thus, they are resolved to practice good stewardship and sustainable methods to ensure the resources are there for the future. They are also human beings with families, and mortgages, and even some employees. Their work is the very backbone of multibillion dollar industries that provide for thousands of other families. As researchers and supporters of ropeless fishing gear and techniques, we must ensure that our work to refine, design, and implement these solutions aren’t helping special-interest groups put our friends and their communities out of business, permanently. Plenty of fishermen have helped with research in the US that has come to do just that, SO THE FEAR IS REAL, AND UNDERSTANDABLE.

We HAVE to make sure they can continue to do this safely and affordably, or we will all be losing out. And not just on a Thanksgiving or Christmas appetizer.

-KS, Nov 2021

We have a chance to fix things.

Posted on by kimsawicki
No. 3329 Credit: Peter Flood

“If I seem like a radical, it may be because I see things that others do not. I think if others had the opportunity to witness what I’ve seen in my lifetime…I would not seem like a radical at all. We have a chance to fix things.”

-Her Deepness, Sylvia Earle. Mission Blue

It has taken several days for me to sit down and write this post.  This is not because I don’t know what to say, but because writing the words will make it real.

A year ago, I didn’t even know what a North Atlantic Right Whale was. Since that time, I have spent countless hours researching these animals, their families, their food, their habitats, their mating and migratory behaviors. I have also studied their necropsy reports, lab results, and a multitude of photos that exist of these animals and their babies. Too often, the images I see show them sliced apart or strangled by various fishing lines and lost gear, washed ashore as nothing more than deflated sacks of bone. The images of gaping wounds from propellers or a pathologist’s knife are becoming so common that now I feel each birth, and each loss, as intimately as if they were my own family.

We have lost 6 of a critically endangered species so far this season. Four of them were female.  We know that there are less than 100 breeding females in this tiny population that now numbers only 412. And this number only stands if all 7 of the calves born in Georgia and Florida survive their first year of life.

I will add more to this post as information becomes available, but please take a moment to pay tribute to these six individual animals whose lives enriched our coastal waters for too short of a time.

We still have a chance to fix things.

-Kim Sawicki, 1 July 2019

Please consider a donation to the Center for Coastal Studies, an organization that does incredible work for our North Atlantic Right Whales, as well as our ecosystem-at-large.

CCS DONATE

What do we know about these animals that died?

Punctuation Credit: DFO

We know that Punctuation, a 38-year-old grandmother, had been previously entangled in fishing gear before and survived. We also know that she was struck twice by boat propellers and lived. We know that she had at least 8 calves that also had successful births. We also know that she traveled to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence this summer, was struck by a third boat, and was killed.

Comet Credit: Dr. Moira Brown

We know that Comet, 34, was a grandfather as well. It has been determined by his autopsy, completed June 28th, 2019 by by the Marine Animal Response Society, DFO, Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative, the Atlantic Veterinary College, the province and the Canadian Coast Guard that his death was also, likely due to ship strike.

Wolverine Credit: Sheila McKenney/Associated Scientists of Woods Hole/Marineland Right Whale Project
Wolverine Credit: Gabrielle Fahmy/CBC
Wolverine’s Necropsy Credit: Gabrielle Fahmy/CBC

We know that Wolverine, whose cause of death has yet to be determined, was only 9 years old. This is the equivalent of a 9 year-old human child dying of “unknown” causes. Wolverine was named for the propeller gashes visible along his spine. He also had been the victim of a series of entanglements.

Clipper and Calf 2016 Credit-Marineland RW Project

We know that Clipper, who was necropsied today on the Gaspe Penisula, was the victim many years ago of a previous ship strike that left her with a clipped tail fluke. She was first seen in 2004, and had likely been a mother twice. Clipper was reported as of July 5th, 2019 to have also been killed by a ship strike.

No. 3815 Credit: Center for Coastal Studies

No. 3815 was first seen as a calf off New Jersey in May 2008. She is the daughter of Harmony, No. 3115, who was the daughter of No. 1815. She was only 12 years old, and was just entering the age of sexual maturity.

No. 3329 Credit: Jolinne Surette

No. 3329 was likely born in December 2002 off Georgia. She is the daughter of Viola No. 2029 who was the daughter of Ipanema, No. 1629. She was also quite photogenic.

We still have a chance to fix things. Right Whale Credit: Brian Skerry
sustainable seas 2019

An amazing and enlightening video on the life of Scottish fishers…

Posted on by kimsawicki

Why is this issue of sustainably-caught seafood such a controversial one? Take an hour to watch the fascinating BBC video above to find out! Featuring Dougie Vipond, this documentary is not only riveting, but speaks volumes about how far we have still to go to make sure that we are good stewards of the seas.

Kim Sawicki February 2019

Entanglements, the book.

Posted on by kimsawicki

Tora Johnson’s exhaustive look at the issue of cetacean entanglement and fisheries management is just as accurate and relevant today as it was when she first began her research. While some of the players have changed, the issue remains largely unresolved. Her insights lend remarkable depth and understanding to anyone wishing to navigate the complexities of change within our vital coastal communities.

You can buy the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Entanglements-Intertwined-Fates-Whales-Fishermen/dp/0813027977

-Kim Sawicki February 2019

Critical Habitat Areas

Posted on by kimsawicki
North Atlantic Right Whale and Calf -NOAA, 2018.

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.

Steps toward an ecosystem-based fishery

Posted on by kimsawicki

The difference between the difficult and the impossible is that the impossible takes a little longer time. -Lady Aberdeen

Diamond Rocks, Kilkee. County Clare. Ireland

As consumer demand for sustainably produced food grows, industry, too, will need to be directly involved in the hands-on adaptation of techniques that ensure profitability as well as workforce compliance with policy.

During my recent study abroad in Ireland, I was witness to the pride and commitment the fishing industry had toward sustainable practices, as well as in maintaining their strong cultural identities. Understanding how that balance is achieved is critical to formulating a best-practices approach to implementation of new technologies in the United States, which has been struggling in its efforts to adopt new methods. With multilevel-multi-agency policies now being implemented that limit fisheries acceptable biological catch, innovative approaches to harvesting fish from the sea has become a necessity. Policy adaptation supporting advanced fishing technologies which are designed to reduce bycatch and entanglements can cripple industry if too restrictive and must be adopted in ways that are manageable and fair for success to be realized. Lobbyists, scientists, and industry in the US are now resorting to a variety of litigious measures to protect their stated interests, therefore, understanding how the EU cooperatively manages their fishing industry could prove highly beneficial. Policy measures that ensure solicitation from all stakeholders will be examined, and future suggestions for a novel framework for the US managed fisheries will be proposed. My study will focus on those policies and directives in the EU identified to have had the most positive impact on fishermen and their communities. This research is instrumental in assisting with efforts in the US when interacting with community fisheries to encourage a more fruitful and engaged cooperative attitude toward marine conservation.

-Kim Sawicki October 2018

Fishing without Rope?

Posted on by kimsawicki
Southern Right Whales. © Brian Skerry

Past research has indicated an undeniable benefit to the use of innovative ropeless gear within pot and trap fisheries with a removal of end lines and buoy lines. (Baumgartner et al., 2018.; Werner et al., 2015; Lent, 2017; FAO, 2018) These innovative approaches to end line management allow for the lowered risk of bycatch and entanglements of critically endangered species, most particularly that of the North Atlantic Right Whale.

It is imperative that a better understanding of the benefits and potential gains be attained if technology such as this is to be affordable and accepted for widespread use for pot/trap fisheries.  Due the innate differences of individual fisheries, it is well accepted that there will likely not exist one perfect ropeless technology that will address all of the individual needs of all fisheries. Many of the current designs have several decades of successful use in other applications, serving to catalyze and invigorate new manufacturers of gear, as well as thoughtful adaptations of existing devices.

As with any proposed change to fishing technique or technology, there has historically been a period of resistance, research, and adjustment. This period has been unusually long for ropeless gear, and thus far, much of the discourse between management and industry partners has been laden with untested hypothetical concerns regarding functionality and implementation.

Valid concerns provided by fishers with decades of harvesting experience have not been reasonably resolved with the limited testing that has been completed by manufacturers, environmental non-government organizations, or fisheries partners. To ensure the continued success of a co-management approach to fisheries practices, priority needs to be given to further this testing.

-Kim Sawicki January 2019

Spend some time with people, before you change their way of life.

Posted on by kimsawicki


“Where wisdom reigns, there is no conflict between thinking and feeling.” – Carl Gustav Jung

Civic engagement and communication are the most vital link to understanding those factors that drive successful policy change. Immersing oneself in local cultural activities can work to promote the position of all scientists working in marine conservation. Cerebral comprehension of issues that concern fishing communities when faced with change is not enough to inform decision makers, instead, having a “finger on the pulse” of that which makes a community strong is. Often, understanding comes from rapport that develops through identifying shared interests and commonalities.

Spending quality time with those lives you will affect through suggested policy changes ensures that you have the opportunity to not only study the economic impacts these policies can and do have on these communities, but also the cultural implications and experiences that are realized.

-Kim Sawicki December 2018