Pingers utilised on 20 vessels operating off the coastline of Chile.
PARTNERS:
Ministry of Fisheries Ecuador Government, Ministry of the Environment Ecuador Government, National Fisheries Institute Ecuador, FEMM (non-profit) Ecuador, Simon Fraser University Vancouver Canada, Future Oceans
Future Oceans has developed relationships with key stakeholders in efforts to reduce the entanglement of whales and dolphins in Ecuador’s coastal gillnet fleet.
Tens of thousands of small scale “artisanal” fishermen need to fish to survive, set nets every day and dolphin and whale entanglement is a serious problem in Ecuador.
A formal scientific Pinger project, co-authored by Professor Juan Jose Alava of Simon Fraser University and James Turner provided to Ecuador’s fisheries minister recommends the use of Future Oceans Pingers on fishing boats in 10 ports in Ecuador.
This pilot project is the first effort to use Pingers in Ecuador and it marks a significant step forward in Ecuador efforts to reduce whale and dolphin losses.
The project involves stakeholders needed to ensure the long-term uptake of Pingers, including the government, Ecuador’s National Fisheries Institute (SNP), University researchers, FEMM, a non-profit environmental organisation to assist with on the ground operations and Ecuadorian fishing associations.
