New NOAA Rule Helps Fishing Crews Reduce Whale Entanglements and Save Time

NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region has finalized a new rule for the groundfish fishery that gives fishing crews new options to reduce the risk of whale entanglements. Fishermen say it will also help them save time and money hauling and buying line.

This rule now allows commercial fishing vessels to deploy strings of groundfish gear on the sea floor with just one line to a buoy at the surface. Previously each string required two buoy lines-one at each end. The Pacific Fishery Management Council sought the changes to reduce the number of vertical lines in the water. These lines can entangle whales and other marine life in fishing gear along the West Coast.

New Rule Will Improve Efficiency and Reduce Costs

Oregon fisherman Poggy Lapham said the option to use one line instead of two would save him up to 20 percent of his time on the water, and close to $1,500 in line for each set of fishing gear. He captains and owns F/V Michele Ann in Newport.

A full set of fishing gear at a depth of 600 fathoms-more than a half-mile-may take 90 minutes or more to retrieve. With only one buoy line, fishing crews can haul in more gear sets per day. That reduces the time the gear is in the water and represents a real reduction in entanglement risk, Lapham said.

He supported the Council in developing the rule with input from scientists, fishermen, managers and interest groups and the public. He did so also as a member of the West Coast Take Reduction Team . The advisory body met over the last year to recommend ways to reduce entanglements in sablefish pot fisheries on the West Coast.

He said making the rule optional gives fishing crews a chance to adjust to the change without being immediately forced into it. "The fleet will inevitably move toward the most efficient way of doing things," he said. "Whatever is most efficient that takes the least amount of time, like reducing your time on the water. It's most likely to work if they make that choice."

The new rule also requires marking commercial longline and pot fishing gears according to fishery, gear type, and vessel. That will help West Coast Large Whale Entanglement Response Program members and others on the water such as fishermen or ship crews who observe entangled whales provide better data on the source of entanglements, providing more clarity for fisheries and managers.

Entanglements of marine mammals, especially humpback whales, have increased off the West Coast since about 2014. A large marine heatwave known as The Blob increased ocean temperatures off the coast. That brought more whales in search of prey into the same coastal waters where commercial fisheries deploy pots or traps on the seafloor.

Changes Address Public Comments

NOAA Fisheries sought public comments on the proposed rule change early this year. Most of the roughly 20 comments were positive. Some said the gear-marking rules should be stronger to ensure gear involved in entanglements can be identified.

This rule requires color-coded marking of the first 120 feet of line connecting surface buoys to the gear along the seafloor starting January 11, 2027, 90 days after the rule is published. While 120 feet represents only about 5 percent of the vertical line per gear set, most entanglements involve 60 feet or less of line connected to buoys. NOAA Fisheries expects the requirement will improve identification of groundfish bottom longline and pot gear involved in entanglements.

Vessels using bottom longline and pot gears in commercial groundfish fisheries must also mark their buoys starting January 11. Crews can mark buoys by attaching color-coded and marked tags or writing directly on the buoys. Every buoy must have gear-specific marking and vessel identification, either on tags or the buoy.

The January 11 changes also limit the length of line between surface buoys linking vertical lines to commercial bottom longline and pot gears to 10 fathoms, or 60 feet. That will prevent excess line from posing a risk of entangling marine animals.

The changes are similar to recommendations from a 2022 workshop. Participants identified sablefish gear marking and other steps to reduce entanglement risk and identify gear for commercial fisheries in coastal waters offshore of Washington, Oregon, and California.

The color-coded line marking will help NOAA Fisheries responders better understand the source of entanglements. These marking requirements also support the recent reduction in regulations that give groundfish fishing vessels new flexibility to switch fishing gear and otherwise adjust their fishing strategies depending on ocean and market conditions.