The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation awarded Lobster Foundation of Massachusetts, (LFoM) grant funding for its project, “Grappling with Technology for Cost-Effective Solutions in Fishing Gear Innovation. (MA)
The LFoM in collaboration with the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association, Real Time Data (DECKHAND electronic logbook), Acbotics Research LLC., and the Massachusetts commercial fishermen partnered together to test grappling using technology as a solution to minimize gear conflict between fixed and mobile gear commercial fishermen and to reduce interactions with North Atlantic Right Whale (NARW). The project location will be Southern New England beginning in the spring of 2026. Grappling with Technology is a cost-effective solution for new gear innovations. Testing the efficacy of grappling with the use of these integrated technologies will improve the efficiency of grappling. This is a more cost-effective and efficient solution than the use of an extremely expensive pop-up buoy system to remove vertical lines in the water column that could lead to a potential interaction with NARW.
