Chapter II — Species of Special Concern 



Figure 2. Unidentified fishing gear being removed from a right whale found entangled in Cape Cod Bay 

 on 14 July 1998. (Photograph courtesy of Center for Coastal Studies, Provincetown, Massachusetts) 



certain gear design requirements. For the calving 

 area off Florida and Georgia, fishing with drift 

 gillnets is prohibited from 1 November through 31 

 March. This is the only time right whales are present 

 in those waters. 



In most cases, the fishing closures apply during 

 times when almost no fishing traditionally occurs. 

 For example, in Cape Cod Bay the January-May 

 gillnet fishing closure applies to a period when 

 virtually no gillnet fishing takes place. Similarly, 

 closure of the lobster fishery in the Great South 

 Channel coincides with a period when no lobster 

 fishing has occurred in that area. Conversely, when 

 low levels of fishing effort in critical habitats have 

 coincided with periods of peak whale occurrence, the 

 regulations typically allow fishing to continue or 

 increase subject to certain gear requirements that 

 incorporate design features already in common use. 

 Thus, with the possible exception of the calving area, 

 it seems doubtful that the plan's time-area manage- 



ment measures will substantially alter existing fishing 

 gear or fishing practices in ways that would reduce 

 entanglement risks to right whales. 



Establishing a National Whale 

 Conservation Fund 



In November 1996 the Marine Mammal Commis- 

 sion reviewed both the northern right whale and 

 manatee recovery programs. The manatee recovery 

 program, long considered one the best marine mam- 

 mal conservation programs in the United States, has 

 been a success because it can carry out a broad range 

 of research and management activities thanks to strong 

 financial support provided by the State of Florida 

 through a dedicated Manatee Trust Fund. The trust 

 fund, established by the state legislature in the late 

 1980s and supported largely by a share of state boat 

 registration fees, the sale of state manatee license 

 plates and stickers, and voluntary donations, has 



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