The Problem To Solve

Photo Credit:  NOAA

North Atlantic Right Whales (NARW) are facing extinction largely because of ship strikes and entanglement in fishing gear, including lobster trap lines. These lines, which connect a buoy at the surface to traps hundreds of feet down on the seafloor, get tangled and dragged by whales as they swim by. The NARW population has less than 400 members remaining worldwide, 4.3 of whom die annually on average, and an estimated 83% of whom have experienced entanglement. Entanglement not only kills whales, but also renders female survivors less likely to reproduce; calving rates have dropped by 40% since 2010, and there is concern the species may not recover.

Photo Credit:  NOAA

The lobster fishing industry is looking for a way to stay in business as well as keep their livelihoods for future generations. The fishery as a whole has implemented many sustainable fishing practices via self regulation to promote a strong lobster population, but the problem isn't tied to the lobster itself or the traps, but instead with the lines that allow the lobstermen to pull up these traps. The lines, which connect a buoy at the surface to traps hundreds of feet down on the seafloor, get tangled and dragged by whales as they swim by. 

The NARW population has less than 400 members remaining worldwide, 4.3 of whom die annually on average, and an estimated 83% of whom have experienced entanglement. Entanglement not only kills whales, but also renders female survivors less likely to reproduce; calving rates have dropped by 40% since 2010, and there is concern the species may not recover.