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Handling ropeless gear adds time to a day s work. If a fisherman spends 5 or 10 minutes more per trawl, that can add up to hours in the course of a day. EdgeTech photo.
A coalition of California fishing and seafood groups is grappling with environmental groups and animal welfare activists over state legislation to mandate the adoption of ropeless gear in commercial and recreational fisheries to protect whales.
The struggle is closely watched on the East Coast, where Massachusetts state fisheries officials are embarking on a one-year experiment with ropeless or “pop-up” gear aiming to reduce entanglement danger for endangered right whales.