Bycatch News
The Consortium's research on barium sulfate gillnets to reduce bycatch of Brazil's endangered franciscana dolphin was featured in the Brazilian newspaper O GLOBO, "Novo tipo de rede promete ajudar a proteger toninhas"
NMFS is recommending that "weak" circle hooks, sized 16/0 or smaller, be required in the Hawaii-based deep-set longline fishery. "Weak" hooks are designed to retain the target catch, but release larger bycatch, like false killer whales (or bluefin tuna in the Gulf of Mexico or pilot whales in North Carolina). The hooks release larger animals by straightening out when the animal puts tension on the line.
Endangered Species Research Theme Section
The technical modifications to fishing gear that the Bycatch Consortium supports were highlighted as important potential solutions to bycatch reduction in this month's Popular Science, "Higher Tech Nets, Hooks Could Stem the Shipload of Fishers' Bycatch."
Jordan, LK, Mandelman, JW and Kajiura, SM. 2011. Behavioral responses to weak electric fields and lanthanide metal in two shark species. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 409(1-2): 345-350.
A collection of tweets from #SMM2013 about fisheries bycatch of marine mammals
On Monday, June 27, I took the Casco Bay Ferry in Portland to Long Island Maine with Heather Tetreault and Sarah Paquette from the Maine Lobstermen's Association and Kate Dawson from Maine Sea Grant to meet with local lobstermen and women as part of our project to document lobster fishing practices in Maine. We were lucky to be traveling through the picturesque southern Maine islands on one of the most beautiful days of the summer so far.
The Consortium for Wildlife Bycatch Reduction has won the 2013 Katerva Ecosystem Conservation Award!