To the editor: I sympathize with fishers trying to make a living in today’s changing oceans, so it’s crucial not to overlook strong evidence that “pop-up” fishing gear can help them continue to fish while protecting whales from deadly entanglements in conventional Dungeness crab fishing gear. (“California loves Dungeness crab. But concerns over whale safety put industry in peril,” Feb. 10)
While environmental groups are excited about saving endangered whales and sea turtles with pop-up gear — which keeps ropes and buoys safely on the ocean floor until fishermen remotely trigger them to “pop up” to the surface for retrieval — we’re not the ones reporting glowing results.
Those comments are coming from the fishers themselves. In September, testers were quoted in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat as saying, “I would take pop-up gear every day of the week,” and that the system is the “best thing since peanut butter.”
The trial numbers also speak volumes: Nineteen boats signed up last year, and 40 have jumped on board this year.
As climate change puts more marine animals at risk of entanglement, we have to embrace win-win solutions that can save both whales and fishing jobs.
Benjamin Grundy, Oakland
The writer is an oceans campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity.
