Jack Aylmer
IT IS A MAJOR INVESTMENT TO PROTECT ONE OF THE MOST ENDANGERED WHALES IN THE WORLD.
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCED THIS MONTH THAT IT WILL INVEST MILLIONS IN NEW TECHNOLOGY TO SAVE THE ‘NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALE’. WITH ONLY 360 MORE ITEMS LEFT AVAILABLE, EFFORTS ARE BEING MADE TO MAKE COMMERCIAL FISHING SAFER FOR THESE RARE ANIMALS.
Federal agencies are allocating nearly $10 million to encourage the use of ropeless fishing equipment. Instead of the usual traps connected to the surface by ropes, this equipment will rely on systems such as inflatable lift bags that bring the traps to the surface without the need for a fixed, vertical line in the water.
IT’S NOT JUST FISHING GEAR THAT THREATENS THESE MAMMALS. OFFSHORE WIND ENERGY PROJECTS ARE ALSO BEING CAREFULLY STUDIED. THERE ARE GROWING CONCERNS THAT GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY COULD ALSO AFFECT MARINE LIFE.
IN ADDITION TO EQUIPMENT DEVELOPMENT, ALMOST $3 MILLION WILL BE INVESTED INTO IMPROVING THE MONITORING AND PREDICTION OF WHALE MOVEMENTS.
WHILE SOME FISHERMEN ARE SKEPTICAL ABOUT USING NEW TECHNOLOGIES, OTHERS ARE WORKING WITH THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, WHICH DESCRIBES THAT THE CHARLEY WHALE IS “CLOSE TO EXTINCTION AND THE STAKES COULDN’T BE HIGHER.”
There is quite a balance between saving whales, supporting sustainable industries and transitioning to renewable energy sources. The future of the North Atlantic right whale depends on how we address these complex challenges.
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