Final Moments in Warm Waters and Final Set of Presentations

Kayla Sheehan

We have left the warmer waters of the Gulf Stream behind, and along with it the bumpier ride and gusts of warmer air. Conditions were great for a neuston tow and deployment of the hydrophone, so now we have some more zooplankton dehydrating in the lab for Center for Coastal Studies and Lindsey made some recordings of dolphin calls. We hope to do the same combination of deployments tomorrow and we’ll report our findings from then and keep fingers crossed that we see and hear other marine mammals

Colleen Coogan, NOAA Fisheries, and Erica Fuller, Conservation Law Foundation, gave the final presentations for part one of the SEA Sailing Symposium North Atlantic Right Whales.

NOAA Fisheries: Colleen Coogan:
One of the many things to note during Colleen’s presentation is that NOAA Fisheries does not create the laws of the sea, but they are bound by them. Through collaborative efforts like the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction team, NOAA works to understand challenges and opportunities to present to lawmakers.  Fishermen make up 1/3 of the team that also includes members from New England Aquarium and Conservation Law. This effort demonstrates the need for collaboration across organizations and communities to developing solutions to entanglement risks.

Conservation Law Foundation: Erica Fuller:
From the invited experts, we know that there are two major threats to right whales- boat strikes and entanglements; however, Erica presented a new topic of conversation today. Currently, there are several offshore wind projects in various stages throughout southern New England, specifically in key right whale territories and the direct, indirect and cumulative impacts are unknown. The conversation at the end of these presentations continued to highlight the efforts of addressing fishing gear in right whale territories and the various strategies in addressing that threat.

You can learn more about the work that NOAA Fisheries and the Conservation Law Foundation do by watching their full presentations.

Full presentations to be uploaded upon voyage completion.

Kayla Sheehan