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Slinky pots revolutionize Alaska s blackcod fishery
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The crew of the F/V Vansee (above) preps new CodCoil, or slinky, pots. The gear is made for longliners tired of feeding whales a seafood buffet and is noted for being collapsible and lightweight. Shawn McManus photo.
When Shawn McManus, skipper of the F/V Vansee, left Seattle in the spring of 2020 to longline for blackcod in Alaska, the outlook was not good. The burgeoning pandemic had injected uncertainty into a fishery that was already struggling with flagging prices and crippling whale depredation.
On the grounds, McManus and his colleagues estimated half their catch, sometimes more, was being snatched off hooks by orcas and sperm whales. Fishermen with bigger boats and more powerful hydraulics had long ago switched to whale-proof rigid pots, but they were not an option for smaller operations like the Vansee, a 107-year-old halibut schooner with limited deck space.