At a talk on Whale Entanglement—that’s where whales get caught in fishing gear—I asked researcher Michelle Dutro, during the audience Q&A, if kelp farms pose a risk to whales.

Spoiler Alert: there have been no issues with whales and Alaska kelp farms.

Resources Mentioned

Michelle Dutro’s Page on Whalefesthttps://sitkawhalefest.org/speakers/3927/

Report Marine Mammal Entanglements in Alaska (phone numbers)https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/contact/alaska-marine-mammal-stranding-network-24-hour-hotline

Journal article about using fiberglass rods in seaweed farm gearhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0144860924000244

From Michelle Dupro’s Lecture – a story about rescuing a humpback from entanglement in Alaskahttps://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/successful-effort-rescue-entangled-humpback-whale-alaska

Also from Michelle Dupro’s Lecture (contains info on how to respond to an entanglement)https://alaska-training.whaledisentanglement.org

Sitka WhaleFest – Official Websitehttps://sitkawhalefest.org/

NOAA: Approved Weak Inserts for Large Whale Take Reductionhttps://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/new-england-mid-atlantic/marine-mammal-protection/approved-weak-inserts-atlantic-large-whale-take

Study of Fish Farm Entanglements in British Columbia https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10954164/

Sitka WhaleFest 2024 Lecture Videos (the theme was climate change) https://www.youtube.com/@sitkascience/videos

World Wildlife Fund: Seaweed Farming and Whale Entanglement Riskshttps://www.worldwildlife.org/our-work/oceans/sustainable-seafood/farmed-seafood/farmed-seaweed/seaweed-farming-avoiding-the-potential-risk-of-entanglement/

Ropes vs. Lines – Explainedhttps://www.boatingwithdawsons.com/blog/difference-rope-line/

TheFishSite.com article about preventing entanglements with mussel farmshttps://thefishsite.com/articles/aquaculture-2016-preventing-entrapments-in-mussel-farming-gear

Explanation of Wood Stock Referencehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodstock

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