Atlantic Coast States Cooperative Planning for Right Whale Recovery Program Priorities

The below research needs priorities were identified by NOAA Fisheries Service for the 2006 Request for Proposals (Round 5) of the Atlantic Coast States Cooperative Planning for Right Whale Recovery Program. Note that these priorities may be updated in the future. Also, those priorities related to fishing gear and right whale biology are nearly identical to those listed for the Right Whale Research Program.

• Vessel strike mitigation to:
  • Reduce right whale interactions via cost-effective technology, including alternative detection technology, or other acceptable means;
  • Develop a better understanding of right whale behavior and responses to approaching vessels;
  • Develop risk assessment/modeling;
  • Develop merchant mariner training curriculum;
  • Develop materials and requirements to raise awareness among commercial and recreational mariners via state licensing authorities;
  • Research the feasibility and methods for enhancing or replacing Southeast aerial survey monitoring efforts.
• Enforcement as it applies to individual or cooperative states.
• Right whale research to support the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan, specifically:
  • Research on the horizontal and vertical distribution of right whales in the water column throughout their range in U.S. waters. Important data gaps include behavior over rocky, coral or wreck habitats (e.g. inshore areas and depths over 100 fathoms), as well as on the migratory corridor and breeding grounds;
  • Research on the vertical distributions of both the processes and the prey organisms related to right whale foraging for habitat characterization and predictive modeling;
  • Research on the development of long-term tracking tags suitable for deployment on right whales with minimal health risks.
• Gear investigation and testing to reduce entanglement, specifically:
  • Research related to reducing risk associated with vertical lines. Important data gaps include development of the following:
    1. Lipid soluble rope that would quickly deteriorate if it came in contact with a whale;
    2. Device to reduce the separation between buoys in the surface system of buoy line;
    3. Mechanical time release which holds the buoy and buoy line on the bottom for a predetermined length of time and then releases the buoy allowing it to float to the surface with the buoy line;
    4. Device to store and release buoy line on the ocean bottom such as through an acoustic release, galvanic time release or mechanical time release;
    5. Thwartable bottom link, located at the bottom of a buoy line, that will act as a weak link until the gear is ready to be hauled. At that time the device is switched from a weak link mode to a strong link mode, allowing the gear to be hauled;
    6. Time tension line cutter bottom release, located at the bottom of a buoy line, that will release the buoy line from the bottom gear after a predetermined load and time period have been exceeded.
  • Research related to lowering the profile of groundlines. Important data gaps include studies to improve the abrasion resistance and overall durability of sinking/neutrally buoyant rope;
  • Research the profile of gillnet and trap/pot gear in the water column in various habitats and oceanographic conditions;
  • Develop technology for producing knotless splices.
• Disentanglement activities which will reduce mortality and/or serious injury of entangled whales, specifically:
  • Develop technical advances/improvements for disentanglement including sedatives and tools;
  • Investigate behavioral issues that may affect and should be considered during disentanglement;
  • Improve disentanglement response infrastructure.
• Education and outreach programs to fishermen, mariners, recreational vessel operators (commercial and private), and the general public to facilitate reduction of gear interactions.