Over 200 individuals with fishing gear knowledge gathered in Moncton this week.
They took part in the 2nd international fishing gear innovation summit, hosted by Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
During this two-day event, the harvesters, technical experts, Indigenous groups, regulators, academia, and other partners from around the world shared knowledge about a range of innovative solutions to address abandoned, lost, or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ghost gear) and advance fishing gear technology to reduce the risk of whale entanglements.
Discussions included improving protections for marine species and habitats, including endangered whales.
Information will be used to help create Canada’s Whalesafe Gear Strategy, which will be finalized in the spring.
In the coming months, the Department will hold consultations about the development of responsible gear management regulations to further reduce gear loss while supporting sustainable fisheries.
This summit is just one of Canada’s commitments to help combat lost fishing gear and transition to safer gear for whales.
Canada has invested more than $20 million to develop, test and pilot more whale-safe fishing gear, to help reduce the risk of marine mammal entanglements and more than $58.3 million to combat ghost gear through innovation and technology projects to track, find, and retrieve lost fishing gear.
