To protect critically endangered whales from threats posed by entanglement, the Government of Canada is expected to mandate the use of whale-safe gear in Canadian fixed gear fisheries by 2024.
Whale-safe gear involves incorporating weak elements in the design of standard fishing gear which will break with a specified amount of force, lower than the ropes currently in use. While whale-safe gear may protect whales and avoid fishing area closures, as well as shortened or modified fishing seasons, it has yet to be tested in the Newfoundland and Labrador snow crab fishery where local harvesters worry components may break during gear retrieval resulting in loss of gear, profit and time.
Although tests have been conducted in the southern Maritimes and United States, vastly different weather conditions and fisheries make it uncertain how broadly results might apply. As a master’s student at the Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University, I am conducting research which will gather crucial information to protect the fishery, harvesters and whales alike.
To evaluate the viability of whale-safe gear in the Newfoundland and Labrador snow crab fishery, we need to quantify the tension on gear during routine fishing operations, as well as identify factors that affect it.
The snow crab fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador utilizes heavier gear than elsewhere, putting significant strain on the rope and hauler while fishing. Because whale-safe gear is designed to break under a set amount of tension, I am first measuring the tension that ropes on strings of crab pots experience during retrieval using a load cell installed on the hauler which records tension twice per second.
By doing so, I can determine the exact amount of force experienced and identify when the highest tension occurs during the hauling process. To replicate actual fishing conditions as closely as possible, I am measuring tension during retrieval of fleets both inshore and offshore to evaluate how tension might differ between the two areas, and whether it’s affected by sea state, current, depth and number of traps per fleet.
We collected the inshore data last fall in Conception Bay aboard the FV Island Voyager and we are heading offshore aboard the MV Patrick and William this spring to quantify tension on ropes while snow crab fishing in this area.
Subsequent steps in this project will include gear trials with different types of weak components under simulated snow crab fishing conditions to gather information on frequency of gear breakage and damage.
These trials will complement the tension data previously collected to provide a comprehensive analysis and formulate recommendations regarding whale-safe gear adoption based on evidence. This research is anticipated to conclude by fall 2024 and we hope that by providing extensive data for the safe adoption of these gears, we can avoid creating additional ecological and economic issues for the snow crab fishery.
Recent entanglements of critically endangered North Atlantic right whales in fixed fishing gear have raised concerns about the sustainability of some Canadian fisheries.
The growing issue has urged Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch to recommend the avoidance of Canadian snow crab for consumers in 2022. This recommendation has the potential to cause severe repercussions for the fisheries, economy and harvesters.
With 2,400 snow crab license holders in Newfoundland and Labrador, many people rely on crab fishing as their main source of income, making any threat to fishery sustainability a serious concern. Perhaps the most practical solution for this conservation challenge is whale-safe gear and our research hopes to provide critical data to guide its successful implementation in the Newfoundland and Labrador snow crab fishery.
By Genevieve Peck
Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Resources
Marine Institute
Genevieve Peck is a master’s student with the Marine Institute’s Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Resources.
