Calling all commercial fishermen, we want to hear from you!

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is working under a NOAA Sea Grant award to investigate impacts of ghost fishing gear (net and rope) on cultural heritage, specifically on submerged cultural heritage such as shipwrecks, and to develop means to remove the gear and recycle it if possible. Read the full press release here. 

New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center is partnering with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and NOAA Sea Grant to host public drop-in meetings for local commercial fishermen on Friday, March 27, from 10 AM until 4 PM, to talk about ghost gear, net removals, and solutions to prevent hangs. If you are a local commercial fisherman, we want to hear from you. No prior registration required!

Commercial fishermen are encouraged to stop by the Fishing Heritage Center to learn about historic shipwrecks in Massachusetts waters and how to mitigate or prevent interactions with fishing gear. Additional input from commercial fishermen and other mariners is sought by the research team regarding net removal using special technology like remote operated vehicles with net cutting apparatus, industry engagement and outreach about shipwrecks, and solutions to prevent hang-ups of gear during harvesting activities.

For additional information about the project, please contact:
Kirstin Meyer-Kaiser, kmeyer@whoi.edu
Laura Ludwig, lludwig@coastalstudies.org