Saving Seafood

MASSACHUSETTS: Whale Advocates Seek Commercial Fishing Gear Ban

September 10, 2015 — Environmental activists want voters to ban commercial fishing nets and gear in state waters to prevent entanglements of whales and turtles, but fishermen and even some animal welfare groups say the move would be ineffective while devastating the struggling fishing industry.

The effort is being led by Max Strahan, an activist known in environmental circles as the “Prince of Whales” for sometimes radical campaigns to protect the North Atlantic right whale, one of the planet’s most endangered species.

Strahan’s proposal, which cleared an initial hurdle two weeks ago when it was certified for the fall 2016 ballot by Attorney General Maura Healey, seeks to create a committee to implement a ban on commercial fishing nets and gear known to hurt or kill whales, turtles and other marine life.

Read the full story from the Gloucester Daily Times

NOAA Awards $2.75 Million for Marine Mammal Rescue Efforts

September 10, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA:

Today, NOAA Fisheries announced the award of $2.75 million in grant funding to partner organizations in 16 states to respond to and rehabilitate stranded marine mammals and collect data on their health. The John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant Program provides funding to non-profit and for-profit organizations, academic institutions, and state agencies that are members of the National Marine Mammal Stranding Network.

“Prescott grants help our national marine stranding response teams continue to improve their techniques, and supports our efforts to establish links between the health of marine mammals, coastal communities and our coastal ecosystems,” said Dr. Teri Rowles, NOAA Fisheries lead marine mammal veterinarian and coordinator of the Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program. “The money supports vital information needed to protect and conserve whales, dolphins, seals, and sea lions.”

“Prescott grants tie directly to NOAA Fisheries’ core mission, which includes the conservation, protection and recovery of protected marine resources, including whales, dolphins, seals and sea lions,” said Eileen Sobeck, assistant NOAA administrator for fisheries. “Helping our stranding partners do their jobs on the front lines of response and rehabilitation fits in perfectly with our goals.”

The Stranding Network is comprised of trained professionals and volunteers from more than 100 organizations that partner with NOAA Fisheries to investigate marine mammal strandings, rehabilitate animals, and assist with research on marine mammal health issues. NOAA Fisheries relies on its long-standing partnership with stranding network members to obtain the vital research about marine mammal health needed to develop effective conservation programs for marine mammal populations in the wild.

Since the Prescott Grant Program’s inception in 2001, NOAA Fisheries has awarded 518 Prescott grants to members of the National Marine Mammal Stranding Network, totaling more than $45.5 million. Over the years, Prescott grants have enabled members to improve operations, such as expanding response coverage, enhancing response capabilities and data collection, and improving rehabilitation of marine mammals.

Prescott Grants are made under Title IV of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which authorizes NOAA Fisheries to fund eligible members of the National Marine Mammal Stranding Network through grants and cooperative agreements.

Find more information about the Prescott Grant Program, details on each 2015 grant, eligibility requirements, and funding opportunities on our website.

 

Further Investigation Planned in Whale Deaths in Alaska

August 20, 2015 — JUNEAU, AK — A federal agency announced plans Thursday for a more intense investigation into what caused the deaths of 30 large whales in the western Gulf of Alaska since May.

NOAA Fisheries declared the deaths an “unusual mortality event,” triggering a new-level investigation that brings with it access to additional resources. The agency said the deaths are about three times the historical average for the region.

Julie Speegle, a spokeswoman for NOAA Fisheries in Alaska, said a leading hypothesis for the deaths is harmful algal bloom toxins but she noted that there currently is no conclusive evidence linking the two.

Officials have only been able to get samples from one of the 30 whales. Teri Rowles, NOAA Fisheries’ marine mammal health and stranding response coordinator, told reporters during a teleconference Thursday that large-scale whale deaths are among the toughest to investigate, partly because the carcasses often are floating, rarely beached and difficult to access for examination. In Alaska, bears feeding on washed-up whale carcasses create safety concerns for researchers who want to collect samples, she said.

Read the full story at the New York Times

Dozens of whales join fishermen off New Jersey coast

August 18, 2015 — Dozens of long finned pilot whales joined anglers fishing offshore in the 24th Annual MidAtlantic offshore fishing tournament taking place this week in Cape May.

Several pods of the whales mixed in with the fishing boats as they trolled for trophy fish in the offshore canyons.

Pilot whales are the second largest member of the dolphin family with killer whales being the largest. According to Bob Schoelkopf  founder of the  Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine said pilot whales feed mainly on squid and they travel in large groups with up to 150 individuals. Males can reach up to 25 feet and females are about 18 feet.

View the video and read the full story at Asbury Park Press

Tuna Fishermen and Boaters Advised to Watch Out for Whales

August 19, 2015 — NOAA Fisheries reminds all fishermen and boaters to keep a safe distance from whales. Whales can get hooked in tuna rigs or tangled in monofilament line. We recommend boaters keep a distance of at least 100 feet from all whales (and at least 500 yards from endangered North Atlantic right whales, as required by federal law).

 In recent years, we have received increasing numbers of reports of tuna fishermen trolling their gear too close to humpback whales. This can result in injuries to both the whales and the people.

 Humpbacks create bubble clouds to corral their prey, and then lunge through the center to swallow the small fish. Fishermen or boaters in these bubble patches run the risk of colliding with a massive 79,000-pound humpback whale as it rapidly approaches the surface. When a whale collides with a vessel, it can be gravely injured and die from its injuries. Collisions with whales have also thrown boaters from vessels, causing injuries and even death.

 In addition to the potential risk of a collision, the close proximity of a boat may cause a whale to stop feeding. All whales in U.S. waters are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which makes it illegal for people to harm, injure, kill, chase, or harass whales or any other marine mammal. Harassment includes any activity that results in changes to the whales’ natural behaviors, such as feeding. Penalties for Marine Mammal Protection Act violations are fines of up to $20,000 and up to one year in prison. In addition, some whales are protected under the Endangered Species Act, such as North Atlantic right whales, humpback whales, and fin whales.

 Get more information on safe boating near whales.

A Handy New Use for Drones: Collecting Whale Snot

August 10, 2015 — A spouting whale is a majestic sight, spraying everything around it with minuscule droplets of whale snot. (Okay, so it’s not technically snot—it’s more like lung mucus.) But aside from being pretty, that spray, which scientists call “blow,” is a coveted substance in marine biology. Rich with DNA, hormones, viruses, and bacteria from the whale’s respiratory tract, the goo can give researchers clues about a whale’s stress levels and overall health. So, naturally, scientists decided they needed to try collecting the stuff with drones.

Last month in Stellwagen Bank, Massachusetts, scientists from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and NOAA used a hexacopter to collect blow samples and snap photos of 36 humpback whales, gathering data to compare the pod to their brethren in more pristine Antarctic waters. And that’s just one of the conservation research groups that’s decided to capitalize on drones. Ocean Alliance, a nonprofit in Gloucester, Mass., recently launched a Kickstarter for their “Snotbot,” which proposes to collect data from whales off the coasts of Patagonia, Mexico, and Alaska.

These multi-coptered machines are driving a small renaissance in biology and conservation research, allowing researchers—marine scientists especially—to study subjects and places they can’t typically reach. Drones are getting better at carrying scientifically useful payloads: things like more complex sputum samplers, and heavier, better-quality cameras. And as those high-quality drones get cheaper and easier to outfit, they’re helping to answer ecological questions that scientists couldn’t even begin to ask before.

Read the full story at Wired

 

Drones for Good: Tiny Flying Robots Help Protect Endangered Whales

August 7, 2015 — A crowdfunding project called Snotbot, which aims to fund quadcopter-enabled research of whales by collecting their projectile exhalations, has been getting a lot of attention.

It hasn’t hurt that Snotbot has a high-profile fan and patron: Patrick Stewart, the actor best known for helming the Starship Enterprise and leading the X-Men on small and big screens worldwide, appears in the project’s fund-raising video.

But Snotbot is not alone. Since 2013, scientists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have been using multi-copters to collect whale snot and high-resolution full-body images of endangered great whales.

After testing multiple iterations of drone hardware and software designs on expeditions off the shores of New Zealand, Chile, and New England, the team has arrived at their current flier of choice: a six-propeller multi-copter 32 inches in diameter, equipped to collect both images and breath samples from endangered humpback and right whales while the creatures are swimming at sea.

Read the full story from TakePart

New Voluntary Right Whale Speed Restriction Zone

July 29, 2015 — NOAA Fisheries announces that a voluntary vessel speed restriction zone (Dynamic Management Area – DMA) has been established 13 Nautical Miles East-Southeast of Boston to protect an aggregation of 3 right whales sighted in this area on August 1.

This DMA is in effect immediately and remains in effect through August 16. Mariners are requested to route around this area or transit through it at 10 knots or less.

This DMA is bounded by the following coordinates:

 

42 38 N

41 58 N

071 15 W

070 21 W