There Is no I in EAFM Adapting Integrated Ecosystem Assessment for Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management
Northeast Fisheries, Ecosystems Continue to Depart from Historical Norms
2023 State of the Ecosystem Reports show continuing physical, chemical, and biological changes in coastal Mid-Atlantic and New England ecosystems.
Fixed Gear Fishery - Landings
On the U.S. West Coast, whales have been documented entangled with gear and debris associated with numerous fishery and non-fishery sources (Saez et al. 2020). The most common source of entanglements is Dungeness crab gear, but other documented sources include pot/trap gear targeting CA spot prawn, sablefish, spiny lobster, coonstripe shrimp, and rock crab, as well as gillnets targeting highly migratory species, salmon, and other fishes.
Dungeness Crab Landings
Prey Abundance
Prey indices provide information on the abundance of krill and forage fish, key forage species for whales, and provide context for whether predators may concentrate in particular feeding grounds where these species are likely present. Increased coastal abundance of forage species can heighten whale entanglement risk.
Central California
Whale Abundance
NOAA Fisheries prepares stock assessment reports for all marine mammals in U.S. waters; population size estimates are derived from shipboard surveys and mark-recapture methods.