Estimates of cetacean and pinniped bycatch in the 2012 New England sink and Mid-Atlantic gillnet fisheries.

• Main Authors: Hatch, Joshua M., Orphanides, Christopher
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, Northeast Fisheries Science Center 2014
• Subjects: Gillnetting > Environmental aspects > Atlantic Coast Middle Atlantic States.; Cetacea > Mortality > Effect of fishing on > Atlantic Coast New England.; North Atlantic; Phoca vitulina; Phocoena phocoena
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.7289/v5np22f9; https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/4718

This report provides estimated takes of 6 species of small cetaceans and pinnipeds bycaught in the New England sink (NESG) and mid-Atlantic (MAG) gillnet fisheries. The 2012 serious injuries and total mortalities in the NESG fishery were 277 (CV = 0.59) North Atlantic harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena phocoena), 95 (CV = 0.40) short-beaked common dolphins Delphinus delphis delphis), 9 (CV = 0.92) Atlantic white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus acutus), 542 (CV = 0.19) gray seals (Halichoerus grypus grypus), 252 (CV = 0.26) harbor seals (Phoca vitulina concolor), and 6 (CV = 0.87) Risso's dolphins (Grampus griseus). NESG estimates are based on observed takes consisting of 34 harbor porpoises, 6 short-beaked common dolphins, 1 Atlantic white-sided dolphin, 91 gray seals, 37 harbor seals, and 1 Risso's dolphin. The 2012 serious injuries and total mortalities in the MAG fishery were 63 (CV = 0.83) harbor porpoises, 15 (CV = 0.93) short-beaked common dolphins, and 14 (CV = 0.98) gray seals. MAG estimates are based on observed takes consisting of 2 harbor porpoises, 1 short-beaked common dolphin, and 1 gray seal. Relative to 2011, total annual bycatch of all marine mammal species, save short-beaked com-mondolphin, hasdeclined. However, high uncertainty around estimated takes confounds definitive trends in marine mammal bycatch within the NESG and MAG fisheries.