Tag Archives: ‘Ropeless’ Crab Gear

‘Ropeless’ Crab Gear Would Put Whales At Greater Risk

Advocates for proposed crab gear legislation in California, AB 534, often cite misleading information in support of policies that would destroy California’s iconic and sustainable trap fisheries, while doing nothing to protect whales. The main argument is that existing crab gear is responsible for most whale mortality off the California coast, and that “ropeless” or “pop-up” gear would reduce the risk to whales from fishing gear. But the reality is that commercial fishermen share the goal of minimizing interaction between marine mammals and fishing. >click to read< By Ben Platt 17:44