National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
HYANNIS – NOAA Fisheries is testing ropeless fishing gear for lobster and crab around the Gulf of Maine and around Cape Cod.
The testing is being carried out in areas that are otherwise restricted to fishing for certain portions of the year.
The gear does not have a marking buoy on the surface to avoid entanglements with sea life, instead only utilizing ropes when it’s time to be collected.
Entanglement in fishing lines is one of the leading causes of death for the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale, which numbers around 370 individuals.
The Cape and Islands region hosts around two-thirds of the remaining population every season, with Center for Coastal Studies aerial survey members already spotting the first mother and calf pair of the season.
NOAA asks anyone who accidentally tows up an on-demand unit to hold onto it and reach out to program coordinators online.
The gear can be seen on the free EarthRanger Buoy app.
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