A win for lobstermen and right whales

A study from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution found a win for New England’s historic lobster fishery and for endangered right whales. Researchers Hannah Myers and Michael Moore show that even with less gear and a shorter season, fishers in Canada, Maine, and Massachusetts caught about the same number of lobsters with much less effort. A change in regulations could protect whales and make the lobster fishery more profitable in the long term. Images & footage taken under NOAA Permit #21371, 594-1759, 932-1905, 20556, 18786, 15488

Images & footage taken under NOAA Permit: Aerial footage of North Atlantic right whales swimming: Michael Moore, NOAA Permit #21371 Lobster pot entanglement graphic: Natalie Renier, WHOI Creative Entanglement photo: Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission Permit #594-1759 Disentanglement photo: EcoHealth Alliance, NOAA Permit #932-1905 Lobsterboat footage & right whale closeup: NOAA Fisheries “The Right Stuff: Regulations for Right Whales” NMFS MMHSRP Permits #20556, 18786, 15488, 932-1905, 594-1759

Video by Elise Hugus, UnderCurrent Productions

© Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution