In late October, SFP’s Biodiversity & Nature Director Kathryn Novak and I traveled to Providence, Rhode Island, for the annual meetings of the Ropeless Consortium (RC) and the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium (NARWC). More than 200 representatives of scientific and conservation groups, NGOs, fishing industry experts, technology innovators, and government agencies, primarily from the US and Canada, came together to address issues, exchange ideas, and find solutions to safeguard the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale (NARW).
Founded in 1986, the NARWC is a collaborative data-sharing group supported by the New England Aquarium (NEAq). The RC grew out of the NARWC in 2018, as a forum to address both the challenges and successes of on-demand, or ropeless, fishing technology and encourage the open sharing of ideas.
We were heartened to see the broad range of stakeholders attending each meeting. Yet, we also realize that, despite the great efforts being made in marine mammal conservation and new fishing technologies, we need to do more to get the messaging beyond the dock to members of the seafood industry.
An uncertain future for NARWs
As of 2023, the estimated population of NARWs was 372 whales, up from 367 in 2022, and 20 NARW calves were born in 2024. However, despite a slight increase in population, NARWs are still one of the most endangered large whales in the world and face an uncertain future.
The remaining whale population faces serious threats from vessels and fishing gear. Between 2017 and 2024, 82% of all NARWs spotted showed signs of ship strike or entanglement, and there has not been a single documented NARW death or illness due solely to natural causes. Between October 2023 and October 2024, 28 NARWs faced what scientists call unusual mortality events (UMEs). These are documented cases of whale deaths (mortality), serious injury, and morbidity (free swimming whales with sublethal injuries or illness).
From government scientists to student campaigners
Over the four days of the combined meetings, we saw an array of presentations and panel discussions covering a range of topics. In addition to scientific discussions on the health and distribution of whales and ongoing climate and oceanographic changes, there were multiple presentations on on-demand gear. We heard from fishers who are actively working with on-demand gear in the US and Canada, and gear libraries that are lending on-demand gear free of charge for fishers to try out. Panelists discussed how on-demand fishing is allowing fishers to fish during area closures and addressed some of the challenges to overcome with the gear, such as gear interaction with other fisheries and the need for vessel internet accessibility.
In addition to the professional speakers, there were wonderful student presenters, including a middle school group called the Calvineers and 10-year-old Liddy Clever from Save Sealife with Liddy. These presentations brought the participants to their feet with applause and tears, giving hope that the next generation will carry out this important work.
A need for more outreach to the seafood industry
The meetings concluded with an open forum to address ways that the attendees could work together to help NARWs and asked participants to consider what they’d learned and what their organizations could do.
For Kathryn and me, these questions led us to focus on the importance of outreach, communication, and education to ensure a brighter future for whales, fishers, and the seafood industry. The NARWC and RC meetings are proof that, by inviting diverse stakeholders together to engage in open discussion, challenges can be addressed, and solutions can be found. Moving forward, we hope to enhance this process by helping to increase awareness within the seafood industry about both the plight of NARWs and the benefits of on-demand fishing. And to remind stakeholders that there are solutions that will work for BOTH fishers and whales, protecting wildlife while also ensuring a thriving and sustainable future for fisheries.
Source: NOAA Fisheries