CONCUR planned and facilitated a workshop to identify safe methods for deterring marine mammals from damaging fishing gear and catch, personal or public property, or endangering personal safety.

CONCUR worked with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Office of Protected Resources to structure and plan the event, facilitate the meeting discussion, and synthesize results. The 2015 workshop brought together a diverse set of 36 experts in marine mammal biology and ecology, veterinarians, and managers with the goal of evaluating the risks to marine mammals associated with various deterrent methods and technologies.

The workshop characterized the suitability of six categories of non-lethal deterrent methods (acoustic, chemosensory, tactile, visual, physical barriers, and gear modification) with reference to toothed whales, baleen whales, and seals. The results from this three-day workshop will be used by the Office of Protected Resources to inform its development of national guidelines on safely deterring marine mammals listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and non-ESA-listed marine mammals under NOAA’s jurisdiction.

For more information on the findings of the workshop please click here.