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25/11/19
This blog was written by Kim Sawicki, an American scientist currently living and working in Scotland on a Fulbright scholarship. Her goal is to advance the development of ropeless technology and help bring about its regular use in pot and trap fisheries around the world. Kim’s vision is to end whale entanglements while also preserving the fishing communities she works with. Here, Kim shares some insights into her work…
“In 2018, I organized the ropeless gear manufacturers into a working group to help synthesize ideas and simplify our workflow to produce marketable results faster. Our situation in the United States is dire on both coasts with regard to North Atlantic right whale entanglements and resultant fishing closures. Our group now collaborates on a variety of different configurations to solve a bunch of different problems.
I came to Scotland on a Fulbright Scholarship for policy research surrounding those fisheries that could benefit from ropeless technologies and virtual gear marking. Our goals with this technology are to reduce gear interaction between mobile and fixed-gear fisheries and of course, to reduce entanglements of marine animals in static fishing gear.
I brought two examples of this ropeless gear here to Scotland at the request of the Scottish Entanglement Alliance (SEA). Our hope was to share and demonstrate how they work to creel fishers that were interested.
On the weekends, I basically go fishing with creelers (including stacking and hauling fleets, getting seasick and cold, and documenting their processes on their individual vessels for feedback to the ropeless gear designers.) I’ve been doing all this work in my spare time, when I am not working on the Fulbright for a very good reason. Fishing with the gear is incredibly important for our technical process, as it allows us to make sure these systems will be adaptable for use by anyone, in any conditions. We know the gear works, but we’d like it to work as well as possible, so our aim is to take it out and try to test it’s limits, so we can work on making these devices as long-lasting and durable as possible.
Right now, our greatest hurdle to fishing without rope in the water column 100% of the time is the integration of multiple virtual gear marking apps into one larger cloud system. We are working as a team to integrate GPS fleet or trawl marking data from all the gear types into a system that can be used by trawlers and dredgers in the hope of avoiding gear interactions. This system will also be used by enforcement to help identify gear from inside a vessel at the sea surface.
Because fishing without a marked buoy is illegal in the United States, the help we have been given by our small trials with fishers here in Scotland will go a long way to help US fishers who have been suffering terrible and costly closures. The process of applying for, and being granted, a permit to fish without a buoy on the surface is a lengthy one, and many of the projects require hundreds of thousands of dollars and usually only net a small number of actual fishing trials. Doing things here, one-on-one, and in an inexpensive way, has been incredibly helpful so far. So far, the gear has been trialled on both the east coast as well as the west coast of Scotland, and additional trials are planned through June 2020.
The two systems I currently have with me are the FioMarine FioBuoy and the Desert Star Systems ARC-1. Both store rope which is released on-demand, either via an acoustic release or a programmable timed release. The acoustic system sends a barely perceptible and coded signal from the boat to the sea floor, which tells the release to operate. This releases the buoys from a bag, which then lifts the rope to the surface for collection. The spool design can be set on a timer, or an acoustic signal. Both tell a set of jaws to open, which releases a pin. Once the pin is released, the buoy is disengaged from itself, which allows it to flip on its side, and float to the sea surface. The spool slowly spins in the water, which unfurls the rope. Both systems are then collected as normal, with either a grapple or a gaff, and hauled..
The positive response from creelers, (and some trawlers) so far has been overwhelming. They now want to help our working group test these gears and software systems here in Scotland. We aren’t advocating for anyone here in Scotland to consider buying ropeless gear at this point, we are just grateful for the support they are giving to our fishers by helping provide not just an opportunity to try these systems, but also by giving constructive feedback on how we can make them the best they can be.
Our next goal is to secure funding for a larger trial, which would enable us to work with both mobile and fixed-gear fishers to develop methods that would enable them to avoid costly gear interaction. We also would incorporate additional ropeless models to give Scottish fishers a bigger selection of gears to try”.
A critically endangered female North Atlantic right whale entangled in snow crab gear off the Canadian coast. Image credit: Peter Duley.
Ropeless gears to Be tested (Top: Fiobuoy, DesertStar ARC-1, Ashored-Mobi. Bottom: LobsterLift, SMELTS LobsterRaft, EdgeTech 5112). Image credit: Kim Sawicki
Testing the ropeless gears in Fraserburgh and Ullapool. Image credit: Kim Sawicki.
Heading home under a west coast sunset. Image credit: Kim Sawicki.
11/11/19
Drones have been used to support several successful disentanglements in Hawaii, California and this incident involving a humpback whale entangled in pot gear in Alaska. Image credit: Andy Dietrick.
Pippa Garrard of HWDT and Noel Hawkins of BDMLR practise their piloting skills over water. Image credit: Pippa Garrard.
The drone kits generously donated by Oceans Unmanned to the SEA project. Image credit: Oceans Unmanned.
SEA project partners Haydn Mackenzie, Bally Philp, Becky Dudley, Ellie MacLennan, Pippa Garrard and Pippa Low who successfully completed the drone training course. Image credit: Ellie MacLennan.
Following a very successful large whale disentanglement workshop in Ullapool in late October, a group of Scottish Entanglement Alliance (SEA) project partners completed a two-day drone operator training course. This training was delivered by Brian Taggart and Matt Pickett of the US-based Oceans Unmanned, a non-profit organisation founded to harness the power of technology to address some of the challenges our marine environment face, including marine animal entanglement.
Representatives from the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS), the Scottish Creel Fishermen’s Federation (SCFF), the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust (HWDT) and British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) successfully completed the course in Environmentally Conscious Operations of drones to protect and limit disturbances to marine wildlife during research and monitoring projects.
In recent years Oceans Unmanned have been working on an initiative called the freeFLY program, designed to provide aerial support for large whale entanglement response efforts. By including drones in entanglement monitoring and disentanglement response efforts, responders are now able to track free-swimming whales and assess entanglement configurations remotely, decreasing the interactions between responders and entangled animals and increasing the safety of all involved.
During the two-day course SEA participants practiced various manoeuvres including safe take-offs and landings from shore, before taking to the water to practise these new skills in a more challenging environment.
Nick McCaffrey, a drone operator based in Shetland also attended the training event and shared his expertise and experience in the use and value of drones in remote areas to capture footage of both our resident and visiting marine mammals, including these two humpback whales seen off Lerwick this weekend.
To support the continued work of SEA and assist in future marine environmental monitoring and disentanglement attempts in Scottish waters, Oceans Unmanned generously donated two drone kits to the project.
SEA project partners are very grateful to Matt and Brian of Oceans Unmanned for their time, expertise, and generous donations of kit, and the contribution this will make to broadening our knowledge base of the entanglement issue in Scottish waters.
Matt Pickett of Oceans Unmanned and Bally Philp of SCFF practicing some land-based drone launches. Image credit: Oceans Unmanned.
31/10/19
Workshop attendees including fishermen from Oban, Skye, Lochalsh, Ullapool, Scrabster, Shetland, Helmsdale, Fraserburgh, and the Clyde. Image credit: SEA
In the first workshop of its kind in Europe, creel fishermen and women from around Scotland gathered in the Highlands to tackle the problem of marine animal entanglement.
Organised by the Scottish Entanglement Alliance (SEA) and funded by the University Innovation Fund through Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), 20 creel fishermen and women from the Clyde up to Shetland travelled to Ullapool to work alongside project partners with the aim of encouraging better reporting of entanglements, widen Scotland’s existing entanglement response network, and share insights to better understand, mitigate and respond to incidents.
British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR), the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS), the Scottish Creel Fishermen’s Federation (SCFF), Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) and Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) provided training in the first in a series of workshops.
The two-day course comprised a full day of on-water training in assessing and approaching both free-swimming and anchored whales using local fishing and support vessels.
Ellie MacLennan, co-ordinator of the SEA project, said: “Based on the available data, the rate of entanglements and range of species impacted appear to be increasing in Scottish waters, with conservation, human safety, welfare and economic consequences.
“We organised this workshop in response to requests from the creel fishing community, who do not want to see the animals they work alongside getting snared in their gear.
“The fact that many of those in attendance travelled hundreds of miles and missed several fishing days to join in clearly demonstrates the will within the industry to address this issue, which cannot be solved without the expertise and advice of the fishermen themselves.”
The course was delivered by David Mattila, Technical Advisor to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) on Entanglement Response and Ship Strike Reduction, and co-ordinator of the Global Whale Entanglement Response Network.
Since 1984, David has helped to develop unique rescue tools, techniques and training programs and has to date trained more than 1200 responders in 34 countries.
Following his first training workshop in Scotland, David said: “Working throughout the world on this issue of large whale entanglement, it’s clear from all the experts that what you need to do is find champions in the fisheries. And it is clear here that the Scottish Entanglement Alliance has found some real champions in the Scottish creel sector.”
David was assisted in the on-water training sessions by members of BDMLR’s dedicated large whale disentanglement team. This included Martin Boon, who was involved in the recent successful disentanglement of a humpback whale in Orkney, where the team worked with local fishermen and community members to free the animal.
Bally Philps, creel fisherman and west coast representative for SCFF, said: “Entanglement is the biggest environmental issue facing the static gear sector, not just in Scotland but around the world. This weekend was a unique opportunity to work with a range of other stakeholder groups to address this. Hopefully this demonstrates that our sector is taking this issue seriously.”
SEA project partners are very grateful to all who gave up their time, donated use of their gear and vessels, suggested mitigation measures and contributed to broadening our knowledge base of the entanglement issue in Scottish waters. Further courses are now being planned around the coast.
Fishermen and BDMLR disentanglement team members practicing the ‘Nantucket Sleighride’, a technique originally developed by whalers and adapted to safely attach to and approach an entangled whale in order to disentangle it. Image credit: SEA
David Mattila demonstrating some of the tools and technique he helped develop specifically for disentangling large marine animals ensnared in fishing gear. Image credit: SEA
David Mattila briefing fishermen on a variety of on-water disentanglement scenarios before heading out to sea. Image credit: SEA
David Mattila and BDMLR large whale disentanglement team members demonstrating how to safely approach and grapple a free-swimming entangled whale. Methods of assessing and disentangling anchored whales were also practised. Image credit: Oceans Unmanned
If you are a creel fisherman and you encounter an entangled animal in your gear, please report this to the SEA project. If you would like to learn more about SEA’s work, get involved in this or participate in the next entanglement workshop, please contact the SEA project coordinator Ellie MacLennan on 01463 246048, 07393 798153 or at ellie.maclennan@sac.co.uk. Any information you choose to share will be treated positively, sensitively and confidentially.
22/10/19
So far this month SEA project partners have already responded to three entanglement cases – one with a happy ending involving a humpback whale that was successfully freed from creel gear by SEA partners British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) with assistance from the local fishing community (see previous post). However the other two were not so fortunate and involved a pregnant minke whale and a Soweby’s beaked whale. Here are the details from SEA project partner the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS):
Minke whale – Sanday, Orkney
“Another baleen whale found to be a victim of entanglement – this time an adult female minke whale which was found washed up dead tangled in fishing net. This case was found on Sanday, Orkney and comprehensively investigated by some of the SMASS volunteers on Orkney. The animal was in excellent body condition and pregnant with a mid-term foetus. It looked like it had become recently entangled in a section of discarded or lost fishing net- this had become jammed in the baleen and then dragged behind the animal. This would have hugely impaired the animal from feeding or swimming normally, and likely led to an exhausting last few hours of life. Based on the flank bruising and lungs, it appears this creature live stranded and drowned in the surf line.
Entanglement in nets and fishing lines is a growing global concern and this case highlights that entanglement risk in these species is not just from rope – lost, abandoned or discarded nets also represent a significant hazard to marine life. In this case, entanglement cost the lives of two animals – the mother and her unborn, female calf. Of course there are situations where gear is lost by accident of misfortune however this case further demonstrates why such interactions between marine wildlife and fishing gear can be both tragic at an individual level and potentially a risk to the population.
In this case, SMASS owe a particular debt of thanks to the team on Orkney, especially Imogen, Emma and Russ who took all the data and samples for this investigation, Robbie who assisted with transportation of samples, and also Smudger and Teri for assisting with photography”.
A reminder of the hazards of ghost gear, this section of net was likely torn away from active gear or discarded- an adult female minke whale in otherwise good health, likely live stranded after becoming entangled in section of net; The mid-term foetus was, sadly, like the dam in apparently healthy condition.
Sowerby’s beaked whale – Gullane, East Lothian
“On the 10th October the SMASS team began receiving reports of a beaked whale stranded on Gullane beach, East Lothian. This was quickly identified as a chronically entangled 4.5m long female Sowerby’s beaked whale with some of the most severe wounds we have recorded.
The animal was in thin body condition and showed severe trauma to the right pectoral fin, large areas of skin loss from the flank, and a loop of thin, green cord embedded around its neck. It had been entangled for long enough that the cord had worked its way right through the skin and blubber layer into the underlying muscle layer. In some places the skin had actually grown over the top of the rope; in others it had set up a deep tissue infection and abscessation. There were goose barnacles attached to the rope, an indication that the entanglement had considerably compromised the swimming capabilities of the animal. Based on the depth of the tissue trauma and the damage to the flank, it is highly likely this loop around the neck had at some point been attached to longer and heavier material. Miraculously, in this state the animal had still been able to feed, although not much and not recently. At some point over the last few days, it appears the rope somehow became wrapped around the pectoral fin, dislocating the shoulder joint and severing the pectoral fin. Unable to swim effectively, and most likely in a large amount of pain, the animal live stranded and died.
This animal suffered for a long time, certainly weeks, possibly months, ending in what we can only assume was an agonising death. This was a very grim case to witness and extremely concerning from both a welfare and a conservation point of view. It’s not possible to work out where the rope came from- it is similar to the type of material used in both recreational and commercial creel and net fisheries, but rather than point blame, maybe we should direct our efforts towards doing something about it? Cases like this are far from OK, so although this is a difficult issue, there are things we can all do to help.
For those involved in the fishing industry, you are in a key position to help bring about change. Please step up here and be part of the solution, for example through initiatives working towards minimising ghost gear and marine debris in the water such as GhostFishing UK and Fishing for Litter. For members of the public; beach cleans are a great start – every piece of debris, length of rope or fragment of net taken off the beach is one less hazard going back in the sea. If you can’t remove it, at least cut any loops- these are particularly lethal, as they can form a noose into which animals become trapped. If you want to know which beaches most need attention in Scotland, you could use our app www.beachtrack.org.
This is the tenth cetacean entanglement we’ve seen this year, and one of the worst we’ve encountered. The evidence is the issue is getting worse, affecting an increasingly wide range of species and causing unquantifiable harm and suffering to our marine populations. Everyone is responsible for the current state of our seas. Everyone has the opportunity to improve them. Please take what action you can.
SMASS were kindly offered the use of the necropsy facilities at the National Museums of Scotland for examination of this case. Thanks also to the many people who helped with this case, especially Corinne Gordon and Richard Riddell from British Divers Marine Life Rescue and East Lothian council for helping to recover the animal”.
The injuries sustained by and entangling line removed from the Sowerby’s beaked whale.
06/10/19
A specially trained group of volunteers from British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR, a SEA project partner) were mobilised to assist a humpback whale entangled in fishing gear in Orkney on Monday 2nd October. The report was received from a local fisherman who discovered the animal anchored in his fishing ropes and did absolutely the right thing by asking for help to rescue it as safely as possible.
Entanglements are a global concern that can occur wherever wildlife and fishing activities overlap. These incidents can impair an animal’s ability to breath, feed, swim and reproduce, are distressing and potentially dangerous for those discovering them, and can also result in significant financial losses for fishermen through damaged or lost gear. BDMLR’s Large Whale Disentanglement Team (LWDT) is comprised of volunteers who have gone through extensive training in how to approach stricken animals and use specialist equipment to free them from any ropes netting or other materials that they may be caught in. These rescue attempts can be extremely dangerous, and lives have been lost in the past in other countries, so BDMLR have been working to raise awareness of the team’s existence, skills and availability in recent years.
In this instance, volunteers travelled overnight from Glasgow, Dundee, Moray and Ullapool to Kirkwall, and then on to the island of Westray to meet with local BDMLR team members. The fishermen who reported the entanglement remained on hand to assist, and along with support from local fish farm, boat club and chartered vessels, the disentanglement team were able to approach the whale in their specialised RIB to first assess the animal and identify the entanglement configuration. Once a plan had been made on which cuts needed to be made and where, the team returned to the animal, which remained relatively calm throughout. They then began cutting and removing all the entangling lines that were twisted around the tail. The whale was anchored by its tail to the seabed, but using specially designed cutting tools, they were able to quickly free the animal before daylight faded. Once the animal had been freed, the local Westray community welcomed the team safely back to shore and provided overnight accommodation for the whole team.
Using underwater cameras the team were able to assess the configuration of the entanglement. This allowed them to identify which lines to cut and where, and ensure all gear was removed safely and efficiently from the animal.
Despite worsening conditions, the BDMLR team were able to approach the stricken whale and using specialist equipment, remove the entangling gear without distressing the animal further.
Entanglement in fishing lines and nets is a growing concern globally and is considered by many to be the most significant welfare threat to marine mammals of our time. However, it is important to remember that no entanglement is deliberate, and more often than not it is fishermen who are more upset and affected by these incidents than anyone. It is also important to remember fishermen often play a vital role in successfully releasing these animals, by reporting incidents and providing assistance to rescue teams, as was the case here.
BDMLR are part of the SEA collaboration which was initiated in 2018 after the inshore creel sector raised concerns over entanglement within their industry. To date over 150 creel fishermen have contributed to SEA’s work by sharing information on their marine wildlife encounters, experiences of entanglement, and their ideas of ways to reduce the risks of these incidents occurring in the future. This is already leading to some exciting developments which would not be possible without the industry’s continued support and participation working alongside conservation organisations.
The team celebrating another successful disentanglement
We would like to extend our sincerest thanks to all BDMLR team members, local fishermen, residents and businesses for all their extraordinary efforts in making this rescue possible. The success also owes a number of thanks to people who gave up time, transport, food and even beds, including: Andy Makin, Cooke Aquaculture Scotland Ltd, Brian Kent,Harry, John and Eileen, Peter Banczyk, Sandy and Willy of Westside Manse, Karen and Andy of the Old Mase, Tina of Biggin and Kim of Balaclava for providing very welcome accomodation, and Westray in general for being so welcoming. Special thanks to Northerly Marine Services for assistance with transport for the third time this year. Finally and no means least, our medics Teri, Emma and Imogen along with our LWDT members James, Noel, David, Boonie and Smudger!
If you are a creel fisherman and you encounter an entangled animal in your gear, please report this to the SEA project. If you would like to learn more about SEA’s work or get involved in this, please contact the SEA project coordinator Ellie MacLennan on 01463 246048, 07393 798153 or at ellie.maclennan@sac.co.uk. Any information you choose to share will be treated positively, sensitively and confidentially.
Photos: Noel Hawkins and Teri Charlton.
30/09/19
A brilliant article about the work of our colleagues in Canada, working to save the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale. There is a lot we can learn from other nations also working to prevent marine animal entanglements:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-48998569
Entanglement in fishing lines and nets is a growing concern globally and is considered by many to be the most significant welfare threat to marine mammals of our time. These incidents, as highlighted in this article, can interfere with an animal’s ability to move and feed, can cause horrific injuries which must be incredibly painful, and if many animals get entangled, the morbidity and mortality effects can have an impact at a population or even species level. On top of this, entanglements can pose a threat to human safety (disentanglement attempts can be incredibly dangerous) and have a significant financial impact on individual fishers through damage to their gear and lost fishing time. However it is vital to remember that no entanglement is deliberate, and more often than not it is fishermen who are more upset and affected by these incidents than anyone. It is also important to remember that it is often fishermen who come to the rescue of these stricken animals.
To support our fishers, SEA are hosting a training and knowledge exchange workshop at the end of October 2019, exclusively for fishers and those directly involved in entanglement response to share experiences, suggest mitigation measures, and learn how to safely and successfully disentangle large marine animals caught in fishing gear. This workshop will be delivered by David Mattila who has a long history of international whale work, including leading several global large whale entanglement and ship strike mitigation initiatives. Since 1984 David has been developing unique rescue tools, techniques and training programs for whale disentanglement and has trained over 1200 people across 34 countries.
David’s visit offers Scottish fishermen and disentanglement team members a unique opportunity to work together and influence how this issue is tackled moving forward in ways that are practical, realistic and above all, safe.
If you are a creel fisherman and would like to learn more about the SEA project, get involved in this, participate in the disentanglement workshop, or if you have ever come across an animal entangled in your gear, please contact the SEA project coordinator Ellie MacLennan on 01463 246048, 07393 798153 or at ellie.maclennan@sac.co.uk.
Any information you choose to share will be treated positively, sensitively and confidentially.
30/09/19
We’ve been a bit quiet on here for the last few weeks but that’s not because SEA haven’t been up to much – quite the opposite in fact! Our project co-ordinator has now completed her interviews with Scottish inshore creel fishermen and based on feedback from these, plans are now underway to host a disentanglement workshop for fishermen who have, or may in the future, encounter a stricken marine animal in their gear.
Over the last 14 months 150 fishers from Eyemouth to Yell, Campbeltown to Kinlochbervie and Eriskay to Peterhead have given up their time to speak with SEA co-ordinator Ellie MacLennan and tell her about their fishing practices and experiences (if any) of marine animal entanglement. This information has improved our understanding not only of entanglements, but also of fishing activities, marine animal presence and concerns within the sector and we are very grateful to everyone who has contributed.
Over 130 previously unreported entanglement events were recorded through these interviews and on top of these, 2019 is proving to be a busy year for SEA partner the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS) who have received reports of numerous entanglements.
These include:
April – humpback whale, Dunbar.
May – minke whale, Iona; minke whale, Gairloch (live, free-swimming); minke whale, Barra; humpback whale, Scrabster.
July – Minke whale, Isle of Skye.
August – Minke whale, Oldany; Minke whale, Hillswick.
September – Minke whale, Isle of Mull; minke whale, Sanday; basking shark, Applecross.
Although each and every entanglement is unfortunate and each can have conservation, welfare, human safety and economic implications, these are never deliberate and fishermen have played an integral role in the successful disentanglement of numerous whales around our coast.
The fishermen who have contributed to SEA’s work so far have been very eager to learn more about this issue and find practical solutions to mitigate the problem. In light of this enthusiasm from the sector, SEA are organising a training and knowledge exchange workshop especially for fishermen and those directly involved in disentanglement, to share experiences, suggest mitigation measures, and learn how to safely and successfully disentangle large marine animals caught in fishing gear. This workshop will be delivered by David Mattila who has a long history of international whale work, including leading several global large whale entanglement and ship strike mitigation initiatives. Since 1984 David has been developing unique rescue tools, techniques and training programs for whale disentanglement and has trained over 1200 people across 34 countries.
David’s visit offers Scottish fishermen and disentanglement team members a unique opportunity to work together and influence how this issue is tackled moving forward in ways that are practical, realistic and above all, safe.
Entanglements aren’t just a Scottish problem, they occur globally wherever marine animals and fishing gear overlap. SEA partners are working with and supporting fishermen to better understand the scale and impacts of marine animal entanglements, and find solutions to minimise these risks whilst allowing fishermen to continue earning their living from the sea. The SEA project continues to receive a massively positive response from the creel fishing community, and it is crucial that we and the public appreciate these efforts and recognise that fishers are the solution to this issue, not the problem.
If you are a creel fisherman and would like to learn more about the SEA project, get involved in this, participate in the disentanglement workshop, or if you have ever come across an animal entangled in your gear, please contact the SEA project coordinator Ellie MacLennan on 01463 246048, 07393 798153 or at ellie.maclennan@sac.co.uk.
Any information you choose to share will be treated positively, sensitively and confidentially.
Oldany minke whale (top), reported in August 2019; Skye minke whale, reported in July 2019. Both animals had clear evidence of entanglement around the tailstock.
Sanday minke whale (top) reported over the weekend with discarded netting caught in its baleen; Mull minke whale, first reported at sea earlier this month.
08/07/19
It’s been a busy few weeks travelling coast to coast from the industrial east to the wild west, but luckily the weather was (mostly) on my side. Also lucky was a bit of spare time between meetings, markets, interviews and office work to appreciate our coast and all it has to offer including stunning scenery and of course, some of the world’s finest seafood!
Top Left: Peterhead fish market
Below Left: SEA partner Whale and Dolphin Conservation’s (WDC) Shorewatch site at St Cyrus National Nature Reserve
Below and Top Right: Dinner – creel caught lobster and prawns from the west coast
Bottom Right: Berneray, Western Isles
As always I spent much of my time on harbours meeting and interviewing fishermen, and while each area and it’s fishermen are unique, all have fascinating tales of incredible experiences they’ve shared with some of our bigger marine life. Here are just a few examples of the enviable encounters creel fishermen have had recently:
Above (left, middle) Orca bow-riding off Peterhead; Above (right) A nosy minke whale off the NE coast, which apparently made over a dozen passes under the boat.
Left and Right: Two very curious humpback whales taking a closer look at a creel boat working around the Shetland Isles. Taken using a drone, these images really highlight the size of these animals!
While speaking about his close encounters with humpback and minke whales over the years, one fisherman I met last week told me how he reports all of his cetacean sightings to SEA partner the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust (HWDT, www.hwdt.org) through their Whale Track app. He has been at sea for over 40 years working on a mixture of dredge, trawl and creel boats and noted an increase in the number and variety of animals he sees now. He commented that “Fishing is a dangerous job, it’s mentally and physically challenging and at times pretty thankless and frustrating. But when you’re the only boat out there and you see something like this [a whale], well %*#! some people will never see a whale in their whole life and we get to experience it all the time. Its a good reminder of how lucky we are to live and work where we do, and always makes the day a little brighter”.
If you are a creel fisherman and would like to learn more about the SEA project or get involved in this, or if you ever come across an animal entangled in your gear, please contact the SEA project coordinator Ellie MacLennan on 01463 246048, 07393 798153 or at ellie.maclennan@sac.co.uk.
Any information you choose to share will be treated positively, sensitively and confidentially.
04/06/19
On Thursday 30th May the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS) team travelled north to perform a necropsy on yet another entangled whale, which was first spotted by a local fisherman floating at sea earlier in the week. This was a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), which stranded on Scrabster beach, Caithness.
The young humpback whale washed ashore on Scrabster beach.
A juvenile male, this case stranded wrapped in creel rope attached to a buoy, with rope encircling the pectoral fins pinning the left fin tightly to the body wall. This had caused significant rope lacerations to both fin margins and there were large amounts of liquid in both stomach and lungs, providing evidence the animal had likely drowned. Unusually, the gear removed from this animal did not come from the Scottish fleet and has been traced to a Nova Scotia lobster fishery, some 2500 miles away! We were able to make contact with the fisher and make him aware of this incident. He was devastated to hear about this much like all the other fishers the SEA programme have worked with who have encountered an entanglement, but he was very helpful and provided valuable information pertaining to this case which we could not have gained any other way.
This case does raise some very interesting questions – the animal was in moderate to good body condition, had evidence that it had fed reasonably recently and, in contrast to the previous humpback we reported last month near Dunbar, did not show signs of long term debilitation. In addition, the wounds associated with the rope were reasonably recent, with limited scarring and tissue remodelling, and there were marks around the tailstock and fluke made by different ropes which were no longer attached to the animal. It’s possible therefore that this was a two-stage entanglement as the pattern of skin abrasions around the tailstock and fluke suggest the animal had also been acutely entangled, but these ropes which became detached or were removed prior to the animal stranding. But where did this animal first became entangled? Did it entrain gear in the waters off Nova Scotia and drag the buoy across the Atlantic, or was the buoy ‘ghost gear’ which drifted across the Atlantic and entangled the animal off the coast of Scotland? We suspect the latter is more plausible based on the pathology, and also it is unlikely that a young animal like this would swim between both sides of the Atlantic. We may never know but with the help of fishermen, researchers and volunteers from Scotland, Canada and the USA we have been able to better our understanding of entanglements and highlighted that marine debris and ghost gear are genuinely a global hazard, whose impact spans ocean basins, sometimes affecting marine life many thousands of miles from where originally deployed.
Some of the injuries sustained by this humpback as a result of becoming entangled.
We say this a lot, but please remember that no entanglement is deliberate, and understanding how to reduce and mitigate the risk to marine wildlife needs engagement from the fishing community- they are the solution to this issue, not the problem. In this and other cases we have reported on in recent weeks, the fishing community have played a vital role in allowing us to better understand how and why these incidents occur, and how these may be prevented in the future.
Left Image credits: Gavin Bird, Right Image credits: SMASS
21/05/19
In recent weeks the Scottish Entanglement Alliance (SEA) has documented three fatal whale entanglements around the coast of Scotland.
23rd April 2019
The first of these was a juvenile male humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) that washed ashore at Tyninghame near Dunbar. This animal had first been reported entangled two months earlier by a concerned fisherman, who had spotted the whale with rope caught around it’s pectoral fin and towing a buoy in the Forth. Despite several further reports from the local fishing community and best attempts by British Divers Marine Life Rescue’s (BDMLR, www.bdmlr.org.uk) large whale disentanglement team to free it, a rescue was not possible.
With the help of Dunbar RNLI crew, East Lothian Countryside Rangers, the Civil Nuclear Constabulary and local farmers, the whale carcass was moved to allow the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme team (SMASS, www.strandings.org) to perform a necropsy the following morning. The necropsy concluded that this whale had suffered a chronic entanglement. This means the animal had been dragging the entangling ropes for a prolonged period of time, and these lines had cut deep into the blubber layer causing scarring in the underlying tissues, in particular around the pectoral fin where this had caused a severe infection.
This case highlighted the grim realities of entanglement in large baleen whales, such as changes in behaviour and disruptions in energy budgets. Once the whale had become entangled, it would have had to spend much more energy dragging the ropes and any attached gear with it through the water. The rope was stretched tight over the back just behind the head, which probably prevented the animal from feeding normally. As a result the whale was in poor body condition making it more susceptible to the effects of infection and parasitism, which debilitated it further. The animal had a very high parasite burden in the intestine and eventually drowned, either through sheer exhaustion or as a result of becoming entangled further.
The entangled whale towing a buoy, which was first spotted in the Forth in February 2019. Image credit: Ronnie Mackie. The animal was reported dead two months later, washed up at Tyninghame. Image credit: East Lothian Countryside Rangers
The top four photos show some of the tissue damage and lesions sustained by this humpback as a result of becoming entangled. Image credit: SMASS
Bottom two images: A sad ending for this young animal. Image credits: SMASS
7th May 2019
Two weeks later a juvenile minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) was reported, this time off the coast of Iona in the Inner Hebrides. The animal was discovered dead at sea entangled in creel lines which were anchoring it to the seabed.
Minke whales are much smaller than humpbacks and therefore less able to swim away or reach the surface to breath once entangled. In contrast to the humpback whale, this animal suffered an acute entanglement meaning that it likely died very quickly after becoming caught. This is evident from the apparent absence of tissue damage associated with the ropes. Though rapid drowning is perhaps a kinder end than enduring the suffering caused by a chronic entanglement, this does highlight how difficult it is to help in some cases where an immediate response is required.
The minke whale was discovered entangled around the head. The animal had been dead for a couple of days at the time these images were taken, hence the tongue has inflated like a sail (this process is normal in baleen whale cases). Image credits: Hannah Elizabeth Fisher
The whale was cut free and subsequently made landfall on the Isle of Mull. Image credits: Hannah Elizabeth Fisher.
19th May 2019
This weekend the SEA team received reports of a third animal, again a minke, spotted alive but entangled off the west coast of Barra by a group of local kayakers. One kayaker entered the water with the whale and was able to pull a section of rope from its mouth and capture some very useful video footage. However despite their best efforts the damage was already done and later the same evening the animal washed ashore and quickly died, possibly through exhaustion. This case again highlights the welfare implications of entanglements, for example it appears that this whale has suffered a fractured jaw. Although we cannot say for certain, it is plausible based on the severity of the injuries that at one point this animal was anchored by the entangling ropes to the seabed, and in attempting to free itself, has sustained significant damage which almost certainly would have prevented it from feeding.
Photographs captured by a member of the SMASS volunteer network reveal the extent of this entanglement, which was not only around the mouth but also the tail. The injuries suggest that someone else had attempted to free the animal by cutting away other entangling lines, which were no longer present by the time the kayakers encountered it. This whale is to be further examined tomorrow and numerous tissue samples will be collected for analysis by SMASS. From samples taken from the rope lesions we will be able to gain valuable insight in to what this animal was entangled in and the chronicity of this (i.e. how long it was entangled for).
Top left: A still from video footage captured by Barra Surf Adventures of the animal still alive, shortly after they had removed a piece of rope from the animal’s mouth. Entering the water with an entangled animal is something we never recommend doing, for your safety and that of the animal. These are wild animals that can be very dangerous and unpredictable. Image credit: Chris Denehy
Bottom left, Right: The minke whale live stranded on Barra on Sunday evening and subsequently died. The full extent of its injuries are now visible. Image credits: Bruce Taylor and Kirsty Macdonald
14th May 2019
SEA partners received yet another call about an entangled whale, again a minke but thankfully this time live and seemingly uninjured near Gairloch. BDMLR’s large whale disentanglement team were immediately dispatched and subsequently spent two days pursuing the animal. Fortunately the entanglement does not seem to be hindering this whale, though this meant that it was moving too quickly for the disentanglement team to attempt to free it. The team have now stood down but continue to monitor the situation and local fishing and wildlife watching boats are also keeping a look out of this animal.
Entanglements are thought to be a relatively rare occurrence in Scottish waters, however based on data collected by SMASS and through the SEA project, the incidence and range of affected species does seem to be increasing. As highlighted in the aforementioned cases, entanglements can interfere with an animal’s ability to move and feed, cause horrific injuries, and if many animals get entangled, the morbidity and mortality effects can have an impact at a population or even species level. On top of this entanglements can pose a threat to human safety and have a significant financial impact on individual fishers through damage to their gear and lost fishing time. However it is vital to remember that no entanglement is deliberate, and more often than not it is fishermen who are more upset and affected by these incidents than anyone. It is also important to remember that it is often fishermen who come to the rescue of these stricken animals, and fishermen have played an integral role in the successful disentanglement of numerous whales around our coast.
Entanglements aren’t just a Scottish problem, they occur globally wherever marine animals and fishing gear overlap but these cases highlight the need for projects such as SEA. SEA partners are working with and supporting fishermen to better understand the scale and impacts of marine animal entanglements, and find solutions to minimise these risks whilst allowing fishermen to continue earning their living from the sea. To date over 100 Scottish creel fishermen have been involved in the SEA project, sharing their knowledge and expertise surrounding these unfortunate incidents and their ideas of how these may be prevented. This is already leading to some exciting developments which would not be possible without the industry’s continued support and participation. The SEA project continues to receive a massively positive response from the creel fishing community, and it is crucial that we and the public appreciate these efforts and recognise that fishers are the solution to this issue, not the problem.
The minke whale reported entangled off Gairloch. This animal is moving freely but a rope is clearly visible across its back. Image credit: Noel Hawkins
13/05/19
Last week the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS, www.strandings.org), a partner in the Scottish Entanglement Alliance (SEA), received a call about another whale entanglement – this time a minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) caught in ropes off the north-west coast of Scotland.
These unfortunate images show a juvenile animal entangled around the head in what appears to be creel lines. The animal had been dead for a couple of days at the time these images were taken, hence the tongue has inflated like a sail (this process is normal in baleen whale cases). The rope is visibly attached to the animal which appeared to be anchored to the seabed. In contrast to the humpback whale entanglement on the east coast detailed in the previous post, this minke whale showed an acute entanglement case, meaning the animal likely drowned very soon after becoming entangled. We estimate this based on the apparent absence of tissue damage associated with the ropes.
Whilst rapid drowning is perhaps better than enduring the suffering caused by chronic entanglement, this does highlight how difficult it is to help in some cases. Minke whales are the smallest baleen species in our waters and are less powerful swimmers, therefore less able to escape or surface to breathe once entangled (the humpback whale in the last post suffered a chronic entanglement, surviving entangled in ropes for weeks if not months before succumbing). In Scotland we do have a dedicated whale disentanglement team – British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) who are also a SEA partner – who can be contacted 24/7 however in cases such as this and others like it, by the time anyone realises these animals have become caught it is often too late to attempt a rescue.
Entanglements aren’t just a Scottish problem, they occur globally wherever marine animals and fishing gear overlap. However the good news is that SEA is working with the inshore creel fishing industry to better understand the scale and impacts of marine animal entanglements. To date over 100 Scottish creel fishermen have been involved in the SEA project, sharing their knowledge and expertise surrounding these unfortunate incidents, and their ideas of how these may be prevented. This information is proving invaluable and all of the SEA partners are very grateful for their help.
In many areas around the Scottish coast creel fishing is not only economically important as a source of income and employment in fragile rural communities, it is an industry that also has strong social and cultural significance. No entanglement is deliberate and fishermen are often as upset (if not more) by these events as anyone. This case again highlights the need for projects such as SEA, which work with and support fishermen to find solutions to entanglements so that they can prevent these incidents from occurring whilst continuing to earn a living. It is vital that we continue to develop positive working relationships with the inshore fleet and we hope that the fisherman whose gear this was was able to retrieve it with minimal damage.
The young minke whale spotted at sea, entangled around the head and mouth. Image credits: Hannah Elizabeth Fisher
The minke whale has since washed ashore on Mull. Although the animal has been freed from the entangling gear, evidence of this is still visible on the carcass. Image credits: Hannah Elizabeth Fisher.
27/04/19
On Tuesday 26th February a commercial fisherman working in the Forth contacted the Scottish Entanglement Alliance (SEA), concerned for the welfare of a humpback whale he had spotted entangled in lobster gear. British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR, a SEA partner) immediately deployed their Large Whale Disentanglement Team who subsequently spent several days searching for the animal. Despite their best efforts and several more sightings from the local fishing community, the team were unable to trace the whale however they did remain on standby (despite being such big animals, whales can be very elusive).
On Tuesday 23rd April members of SEA received another report, this time from the East Lothian Council Countryside Rangers of a dead humpback whale washed ashore at Tyninghame near Dunbar. Using images of the whale captured by members of the public while it was still alive in the Forth, we were able to confirm that the whale now dead on the Dunbar shoreline was the same animal.
Top: The entangled whale towing a buoy, which was first spotted in the Forth in February 2019. Image credit: Ronnie Mackie
Top, Middle: The humpback washed ashore at Tyninghame earler this week with entangling ropes still attached. Image credit: East Lothian Council Countryside Rangers
Right: The necropsy underway. Image credit: SMASS
Later that day the whale carcass was moved to Skateraw beach where the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme’s (SMASS) veterinary pathologist Dr Andrew Brownlow performed a necropsy. His findings are detailed here:
“A really unfortunate case, this animal had definitely been entangled in rope for several weeks if not months, based on the scarring evident in the skin and underlying tissue. The rope had cut deep into the blubber layer, in particular around the pectoral fin where this had caused a severe chronic infection. The animal was in poor body condition, thin, with little free lipid in the blubber layer. It also had a very high parasite burden, most notably of spiny-headed worms, in the intestine. This all built a grim example of the impacts of marine entanglement in these larger baleen whales. Once the animal had become entangled, it would have had to spend much more energy dragging rope and any attached gear with it through the water. In this case the rope was stretched tight over the back just behind the head, and this also probably stopped the animal from feeding normally. As a result, the whale lost condition, and was therefore more susceptible to the effects of infection and parasitism, which debilitated it further. We found evidence in the lungs that it had eventually drowned, either through exhaustion, or because it became further entangled”.
Top Left, Above: Relocating the whale to a suitable site for necropsy. Image credits: Dunbar RNLI
Bottom Left, Below: Some of the injuries sustained by the humpback whale as a result of being entangled in ropes. Image credits: SMASS
Right: A very sad end for this animal despite the best efforts of a huge number of volunteers, concerned members of the public, and those working within the Forth area. The necropsy of this animal and the valuable information we were able to gain from it was only possible thanks to logistic help from a great number of people- not least East Lothian Council Countryside Rangers, British Divers Marine Life Rescue, Dunbar RNLI Lifeboats and local farmers donating their time and machinery. Many, many thanks to all involved. Image credit: SMASS
Entanglements are thankfully a relatively rare occurrence in Scottish waters and the reported prevalence of these events here over the last 20 years has remained low. However data collected by SMASS does suggest that the incidence and range of affected species does appear to be increasing. But this isn’t just a Scottish problem. Entanglement in fishing lines and nets is a growing concern globally and is considered by many to be the most significant welfare threat to marine mammals of our time. These incidents, as highlighted in this case, can interfere with an animal’s ability to move and feed, can cause horrific injuries which must be incredibly painful, and if many animals get entangled, the morbidity and mortality effects can have an impact at a population or even species level. On top of this, entanglements can pose a threat to human safety (disentanglement attempts can be incredibly dangerous) and have a significant financial impact on individual fishers through damage to their gear and lost fishing time. However it is vital to remember that no entanglement is deliberate, and more often than not it is fishermen who are more upset and affected by these incidents than anyone. It is also important to remember that it is often fishermen who come to the rescue of these stricken animals, for example it was a fisherman who first reported this entangled animal, and several Dunbar fishermen played an integral role in the successful disentanglement of a humpback here a few years ago.
This particularly sad case highlights the need for projects such as SEA, which was initiated by members of the Scottish inshore creel sector who recognised concerns over entanglement within their own industry. To date over 100 creel fishermen have contributed to SEA’s work by sharing information on their marine wildlife encounters, experiences of entanglement, and their ideas of ways to reduce the risks of these incidents occurring in the future. This is already leading to some exciting developments which would not be possible without the industry’s continued support and participation, and highlights the potential to develop practical, proportional industry-led steps to reducing entanglement risks. The SEA project continues to receive a massively positive response from the Scottish inshore creel fishing community, and it is crucial that we and the public appreciate these efforts and recognise that fishers are the solution to this issue, not the problem.
If you are a fisherman and you encounter an animal entangled in your gear, please report this to SEA as soon as possible by contacting the team on 01463 246048, 07393 798153 or at entanglement@sac.co.uk. Help and advice on how to deal with these situations is available and we will be able to dispatch a response team if needed. Your help in recording these incidents would be very much appreciated and any information you share will be treated positively, sensitively and confidentially.
20/03/19
Last week myself and five creel fishermen from Scotland were invited to attend ‘Hauling up Solutions’, a two-day cetacean bycatch and entanglement workshop hosted by Cefas and Defra at the Zoological Society of London. Seven net fishermen from Cornwall, as well as a host of scientists and researchers, government representatives and tech developers (some of whom previously worked as fishermen) were also in attendance. The objectives of the workshop were to:
Share perspectives and experience of bycatch and entanglement monitoring and mitigation;
Explore practical options to better monitor and mitigate cetacean bycatch and entanglement around the UK, including applying best-practice, modifying solutions used in other sectors/for other species, and designing and innovating entirely new solutions;
Build relationships within different stakeholder groups and map out means of continued collaboration to ensure all options explored are practical, proportional, affordable and effective;
Provide a safe space for open and honest discussions, and find common ground on joint objectives and future priorities; and
Develop strong clear recommendations on future research to monitor and reduce cetacean bycatch and entanglement in fishing gear in the UK, including practical and tangible options that can be trialled in partnership with the fishing industry, fishermen and other partners.
The workshop hosted by Cefas and Defra included a huge array of talks, presentations, practical demonstrations and break-out discussion groups, all focussed on working together to find solutions to marine animal bycatch and entanglement in UK waters.
Presentations from the Scottish Fishermen’s Organisation and the Scottish Creel Fishermen’s Federation featured on day one, and covered topics including the importance of industry and stakeholder-led research and engagement. Methods of monitoring by-catch and entanglement using satellites, autonomous underwater vehicles, hydrophones, apps and other electronic methods were also discussed at length, as were possible mitigation measures using light, sounds, gear modifications and electric barriers. Animal biology and behaviours in relation to bycatch and entanglement, and work in challenging traditional fishing conventions were also hot topics. These in turn inspired some very meaningful and enlightening debates especially on day two, when attendees were split into their respective groups (fishers, researchers, policy makers etc.) to discuss the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats as they perceived them, associated with each of the proposed bycatch and entanglement monitoring and mitigation options.
Bally Philp of the Scottish Creel Fishermen’s Federation (SCFF), a partner in the SEA project, highlights the industry’s concern over and willingness to work towards solutions to marine animal entanglement. I also presented on the work of SEA and the invaluable input we’ve received to this work so far from the Scottish creel fishing industry. We were also lucky to hear from Tim Werner from the New England Aquarium in Boston, USA. Tim is a marine zoologist, fisheries scientist and conservation biologist whose research currently focusses on identifying bycatch solutions for marine wildlife that also support the livelihoods of fishermen and coastal communities. He spent a lot of time with the fishermen in attendance, sharing his experiences and advice in entanglement mitigation including what has and hasn’t worked in the USA, and what measures might be applicable in the UK.
The event was summed up by one Scottish fisherman who commented that “We had two days of workshops, presentations and scientists from all over the world keen to engage with fishermen to find solutions to things like entanglements in nets and ropes. We learned loads, I think they did too, we even attended a by-caught porpoise necropsy…..It was a brilliant trip and experience. Some species are prone to get entangled in nets, others in ropes. There are a few species in the world that are critically endangered and there is some real urgency to find solutions and mitigations. Plenty work to be done, but the good news is that there is plenty that can be done…and we may even have come up with some good ideas!”
Below are some just some of the tweets about the workshop which highlight some of the challenges and goals in marine animal bycatch and entanglement monitoring and mitigation. Follow the hashtag #HaulingUpSolutions to read more.
If you are involved in the Scottish creel fishing industry would like to learn more about the Scottish Entanglement Alliance and/or get involved in this work, please contact me (Ellie) at entanglement@sac.co.uk or call 01463 246048. Any information you share will be treated positively, sensitively and confidentially.
05/03/19
Two weeks ago the Scottish contingent of the UK Large Whale Disentanglement Team (LWDT) met in Findhorn for a three-day refresher training course. The team, established in 2007 by British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) currently has approximately 20 individuals trained across four levels, and is the only team of its kind in Europe. The team meets throughout the year to practice skills in boat handling, equipment use, and different entanglement scenarios, to ensure that we are able to respond as quickly, efficiently and safely as possible to reports of whales and other large marine animals tangled in fishing gear. The team is on standby 24/7 and is currently deployed in the Forth following reports from a concerned commercial fisherman about a free-swimming humpback whale potentially entangled in rope.
The team consists of a mix of men and women across the country who are all volunteers and come from a range of backgrounds. Our team leaders Simon and Boonie have, between them, decades of experience working at sea as a skipper and offshore rope access technician. Both are also crew members with the Moray Inshore Rescue Organisation (MIRO). The other team members include a mechanic, a mechanical engineer, an ex-fisherman, a skipper, a commercial diver, a marine ecologist, a teacher, a tree surgeon and a firefighter, all of whom bring a unique set of skills and practical ability to the team. The weekend training consisted of a mix of classroom and boat-based sessions, and as always the training pushed us both mentally and physically, and tested our ability to work as a team in challenging conditions to ensure that in a real-life entanglement scenario, we were able to keep our crew safe, free the animal in distress, and recover and return the entangling gear with minimal damage.
It is essential that each individual entanglement case is fully assessed prior to attempting a disentanglement, including the species concerned and the configuration and type of entangling gear. This guarantees as far as possible that the team can approach the animal safely, and free it with as few cuts as possible to ensure all of the entangling gear is removed with minimal damage, which can then be collected and returned to it’s owner. Entanglement sketch: Scott Landry CCS
The weekend began with a classroom-based session, to review the most recent entanglement cases, walk through different potential entanglement response scenarios on dry land, and give everyone a chance to discuss their strengths, weaknesses and what they’d like to achieve from the training. This was also an opportunity to review and re-familiarise ourselves with the boat (a specially fabricated RIB) and the disentanglement kit, as it is vital that each team member is fully aware of and capable of assembling, maintaining and using this.
The LWDT kit consists of a series of lines, poles and attachments (for fixing knives to depending on the entangling gear), kegging buoys, knives and other cutting tools, and PPE. This kit also includes a telemetry buoy which can be attached to an animal to track it’s movements if a disentanglement cannot be completed in one day or for example, has to be abandoned due to light and/or sea conditions.
Once out on the water for the remainder of the weekend, we were well and truly put through our paces! among other things such as practising boat and tiller handling, we worked on perfecting a technique for disentangling free-swimming large whales that was first developed in 1984 in Cape Cod. The technique is known as ‘kegging’ and is a modification of a practise used by 19th century whalers who would attach kegs (barrels or logs) to the harpoon line in order to slow the whale down. BDMLR now utilise a similar technique for entangled free swimming large whales at risk from potentially life threatening entanglements, by attaching a control line to an existing line tailing from an entangled animal, which allows responders to safely work with and around the animal. Obviously we can’t train using live entangled animals (!) and so we practise using a RIB trailing lines and/or netting to simulate the types of gear an entangled animal may be caught in and towing. The RIB skipper will then manoeuvre at a speed similar to that of a free-swimming whale, and in a way a distressed animal may move through the water. It is then up to the team, spread across two boats (one with the kegging and cutting team of three, and one with the support team of three whose job it is to keep pace with the animal and communicate and support the cutting team by prepping kit.
Left: On the water practising kegging techniques and line cutting.
Below: A selection of the cutting tools used by the LWDT.
As a partner in the SEA project, a hot topic of conversation at this training meet was how the LWDT team can improve their relationship with the Scottish fishing community, to encourage better reporting of entanglements, positively engage with and involve fishers, and start to build a network of people around the coast capable of responding to and assisting in disentanglement attempts. The LWDT is on call 24/7 but the geography of Scotland can be a limiting factor to the team getting to various locations quickly, and so the more people we can have around the coast able to assist in a response who have access to boats, additional kit that might be useful, and with the skills that fishermen have (local knowledge, navigation and boat handling skills, the ability to think on their feet, work efficiently in challenging conditions, and practically minded) the better. By developing a network with fishermen at the heart of it, we hope that as a team the LWDT can facilitate better knowledge exchange, and the development of solid trusting relationships with the Scottish fishing community based on mutual interest and respect.
It is the fishermen are out on the water all the time, they know their gear and their waters better than anyone else, and they also know well and care very much about the marine life they work alongside, and we rely on them for reports of entanglements. We have already learned a huge amount from Scottish fishermen regarding entanglements, for example please see previous blog post ‘Encountering a whale entanglement – a Fisherman’s story’ which is a great example of the invaluable ways in which fishermen are already assisting in the rescue of large whales around the Scottish coast.
SEA do not recommend that fishermen attempt to disentangle animals themselves. Whales in distress are very powerful and dangerous animals, capable of doing significant damage to boats, and threatening lives. Our LWDT have had the appropriate training and carry the necessary PPE to tackle these. However fishermen can and do provide vital assistance to rescue attempts for example by tracking entangled animals, offering advice and local knowledge, moving and lifting fishing gear, and documenting the process with photos and video footage. If you are a fisherman and you encounter a marine animal entanglement while at sea in your or another’s gear, please call this in to the Scottish Entanglement Alliance and BDMLR’s Large Whale Disentanglement Team on 01463 798153, or 07393 798153 who will be able to offer any assistance that is requested and required. Any information you share will be treated positively, sensitively and in confidence.
11/02/19
This article was written in collaboration with several SEA partners and highlights some of the entanglement data gathered in recent years from the Hebrides, and the impact these incidents can and do have on the local fishing community. No entanglement is deliberate and no fisherman wants to catch these animals in their gear. SEA would like to highlight how engaging the creel fishermen of Scotland have been in this work so far, and how much they care about the marine environment and the animals they work alongside.