More commercial fishers in the U.S. will get to try out on-demand fishing gear in 2025 as the industry continues to evaluate the technology as a viable solution for preventing whale entanglements.
NOAA Fisheries counted 67 instances of whale entanglements in U.S. waters in 2022, 40 percent of which were confirmed to have involved commercial or recreational fishing gear.
On the East Coast, North Atlantic right whales are the main concern. Critically endangered, there are only about 370 individuals left in the wild.
On the West Coast, endangered humpback whales are the primary concern, but gray whale entanglements are also a concern. A report published by NOAA last year found that 25 whales were entangled off the West Coast of the U.S. in 2023, while two whales found entangled in Mexico were determined to have been caught up in U.S. commercial fishing gear.
The vertical lines used in crab, lobster, and other pot fisheries are frequently blamed for these entanglements, which have become a constant threat to pot fisheries in the U.S. Along the West Coast, the 2024 commercial Dungeness crab seasons were delayed for weeks over an abundance of migratory humpback whales in the region.
On the East Coast, the Maine state government asked lobstermen to take precautionary measures in January 2025 to avoid entanglements with a cluster of right whales feeding off the southern coast of Maine.
“One entanglement will eventually lead to additional federal restrictions, including closed areas and limiting the use of traditional gear, former Maine Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher said in a statement. “Failure of the industry to self-regulate your activity could be costly in the long run. I urge fishermen to work together to reduce the amount of gear and endlines in the area in order to protect both the right whales as well as the future of the Maine lobster fishery.”
To protect whales, state and federal regulators have relied on ...
