"Addressing Fisheries and Harbor Porpoise Interactions in the Gulf of Maine: The Development of a Fishing Area Selectivity Tool"

The Gulf of Maine Harbor Porpoise Consequence Closure in 2012 was a direct result of marine mammal and fisheries interactions. The Gulf of Maine Research Institute worked with gillnet fishermen and groundfish sectors in New England on an industry-­‐led approach to reducing bycatch of harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) through improved fishing practices informed by data. The Fishing Area Selectivity Tool (FAST) is a web-­‐based data portal and mapping tool that visualizes take and sightings data alongside oceanographic and management information. Fishermen can login securely through the portal to enter data, view where and when takes and sightings have occurred, and use that information to base their fishing activity on. An alert system notifies other participants by email or text message that a take has been reported. The real-­‐time accessibility of the tool allows fishermen to have a more timely sense interactions during the fishing season, rather than waiting for retrospective analyses. Industry engagement and construction of the tool took place as managers reviewed the Harbor Porpoise Take Reduction Plan in the wake of the consequence closure. Recently, the FAST Tool has also been extended to avoid other species of concern using a similar approach.