“Pop-up” fishing gear could help save whales from entanglements in fishing lines, but its widespread adoption faces challenges.
The big picture: Crab and lobster fishing seasons have been shortened due to concerns that whales are getting entangled in long ropes, causing injury or death.
* “Pop-up” fishing gear stores the rope and buoy on the ocean floor and only releases them when fishermen retrieve their traps.
Challenges ahead: Technical issues, high costs, and reluctance from the fishing community make adopting “pop-up” gear a complex process.
* Ensuring the gear can be used in crowded areas, developing universal technical standards, and addressing concerns of additional workload and costs are among the issues faced.
What’s next: $27 million from a federal government funding package of nearly $68 million will go towards developing new kinds of fishing gear, potentially supporting the adoption of “pop-up” technology.
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