California Whale Entanglements: August 20th Public Meeting

California Whale Entanglements

On August 20, 2015 the Ocean Protection Council, CA Department of Fish and Wildlife, and NOAA Fisheries hosted a meeting focused on sharing information and exploring ways to reduce the risk of entanglements in the California Dungeness crab fishery. Commercial and recreational fishermen, environmental NGOs, and interested members of the public gathered to discuss this important issue. PDF versions of the slides shared at the meeting can be downloaded below.

California Whale Entanglement Discussion Agenda
Thursday, August 20, 2015
8:30AM – 4:30PM

Location: Elihu M Harris State Building, 1515 Clay St Oakland, CA 94612, Conference Room 1

Meeting Goal: To engage in an open exchange of information and ideas related to the topic of whale entanglements off California. Discussions will aim to capitalize on the expertise and knowledge of meeting participants by sharing information and exploring short- and long-term strategies to reduce the risk of entanglements in the California Dungeness crab fishery.

Welcome and Introductions

Morning Presentations – Presentations will allocate time to respond to participant’s questions, and to capture ideas to help inform afternoon discussions.

Overview of Whale Management and Entanglement History in California – National Marine Fisheries Service
Presentation will address current management of whale entanglement information and history of entanglement data along the U.S. West Coast with a focus on California. Slides can be downloaded here.

Whale Science, Entanglements Science and NMFS Outreach Efforts – National Marine Fisheries Service
Presentation will address current information about whales and entanglement science, understanding on how entanglements occur, co-occurrence modeling efforts. Slides can be downloaded here.

Understanding Recent Entanglement Activity – National Marine Fisheries Service
Presentation will address recent documentation of entanglement reporting. Slides can be downloaded here.

Overview of the California Dungeness Crab Fishery – California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Presentation will address general operations and management of the commercial fishery. Slides can be downloaded here.

West Coast Marine Mammal Entanglement Response Network – National Marine Fisheries Service
Presentation will address the structure, function, and performance of the Entanglement Response Network along the U.S. West Coast with a focus on California. Slides can be downloaded here.

Whale Entanglement Team (WET) – Whale Entanglement Team
Presentation will address the activities of the WET team in recent years responding to large numbers of reported entangled whales in California.

Afternoon Presentation & Discussion

California Lost Gear Retrieval Program – California Lost Gear Retrieval Program
Presentation will provide an overview of the program including the role of Dungeness crab industry in reducing lost gear in California waters. Slides can be downloaded here.

Discussion: Participants will be invited to engage in a discussion about topics and themes that may emerge from the morning presentations, which may include, but are not limited to, existing data, gaps in available information, priority questions, potential options to reduce entanglement risk, continued outreach, and next steps.

Next steps

Adjourn

Hosted By: Ocean Protection Council, CA Department of Fish and Wildlife, and NOAA Fisheries