Ropeless Gear Can Save Whales and Keep Fisheries Open — Canada must Release Whalesafe Fishing Gear Strategy Now

Strategy must designate ropeless-only zones in high-risk areas and set clear, transparent timelines for implementation

OTTAWA, Ontario, traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishnaabeg People, Aug. 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Critically endangered North Atlantic right whales are dying at an alarming rate from entanglements in fishing gear. One of the most effective protections is closing high-risk fishing areas — but these closures often include the most productive waters for fishers, creating conflict between protecting whales, sustaining livelihoods, and Canada’s global seafood reputation.

A solution exists: ropeless, or “on-demand,” fishing gear. This innovative technology allows fishing to continue without leaving dangerous vertical ropes in the water — protecting whales while keeping fisheries open. Oceana Canada is calling on Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) to release its long-promised Whalesafe Fishing Gear Strategy without further delay. The strategy must identify high-risk areas for permanent ropeless only fishing by 2026 and set a clear path for widespread adoption.

“We have a chance to redefine what sustainable fishing looks like,” said Kim Elmslie, Senior Campaign Director at Oceana Canada. “Ropeless gear is more than a tool to prevent whale deaths — it’s an innovation that can future-proof our fisheries, keep markets open, and show the world that protecting whales and supporting fishers are not competing goals, but the foundation of our shared future.”

Ropeless gear keeps ropes and buoys out of the water until catch retrieval. Traps are placed on the ocean floor and equipped with a buoyant device whose location is logged in real time to a shared digital map, so fishers and enforcement officers can track the gear. When it’s time to haul traps, fishers send an acoustic signal from their vessel, triggering the device to release the trap to the surface.

For six years, ropeless gear has been tested on commercial vessels across Atlantic Canada, with fisher feedback driving improvements in performance and reliability. A gear lending library now allows fishers to borrow proven gear at no cost when fishing grounds are closed due to whale detections. To date, approximately 422,000 kilograms of snow crab have been landed in Canada using ropeless technology.

More than 86% of North Atlantic right whales bear scars from entanglement in fishing gear, with some enduring the trauma up to eight times. These injuries often lead to slow, painful deaths, impacting their ability to eat, move, reproduce, and survive.

Since 2017, DFO has closed prime fishing areas for at least 15 days when right whales are detected, to protect them from entanglements. If whales are detected again between days nine and 15 of a closure, the area remains closed for the rest of the season. These closures impact Canada’s most valuable trap-based fisheries — snow crab and lobster — and cause ripple effects across coastal communities, the seafood industry, and international trade. 10 right whales became entangled in 2024, six of them in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The source of the gear could not be confirmed, but each of these incidents was preventable.

Oceana Canada is calling on DFO to ensure the Whalesafe Fishing Gear Strategy:

1. Designates ropeless-only fishing zones in high-risk areas by 2026.
2. Expands gear trials and makes ropeless technology accessible to more harvesters.
3. Maintains and strengthens existing closure protocols and gear-marking rules that will help to identify the origin of fishing gear involved in whale entanglements.
4. Recognizes and rewards early adopters who are leading the transition.

“Fishers have shown they are ready to innovate — now the government must match that commitment,” Elmslie said. “With a clear strategy, we can protect right whales, keep fisheries thriving, and prove Canadian seafood is both responsible and world-class.”

This is about whales and the future of our fisheries, our coastal communities, and Canada’s role as a global leader in sustainable seafood. Learn more at Oceana.ca/ProtectWhales.

Oceana Canada was established as an independent charity in 2015 and is part of the largest international advocacy group dedicated solely to ocean conservation. Oceana Canada has successfully campaigned to ban single-use plastics, end the shark fin trade, make rebuilding depleted fish populations the law, improve the way fisheries are managed and protect marine habitat. We work with civil society, academics, fishers, Indigenous Peoples and governments to return Canada’s formerly vibrant oceans to health and abundance. By restoring Canada’s oceans, we can strengthen our communities, reap greater economic and nutritional benefits, and protect our future. Find out more at Oceana.ca.

Media contacts: Vaishali Dassani, Oceana Canada, vdassani@oceana.ca, 647-294-3335;
Rose-Marie Ménard, Pilot PMR, rosemarie.menard@pilotpmr.com, +1-579-622-9925

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