A silent war has been waging beneath the waves for decades. Large whales and sea turtles have been forced to navigate tumultuous seas riddled with hundreds of feet of rope hanging within the water column. These ropes, also known as vertical lines, connect fixed-fishing gear set on the seafloor to a buoy at the surface of the water.

Along the Atlantic coast, large whales and sea turtles frequently face entanglements in the vertical lines of fixed-fishing gear fisheries, such as the U.S. American lobster fishery. These entanglements can lead to drowning, starvation, physical injuries, and infections, while also increasing the risk of vessel strikes. For whales, entanglement is a leading cause of human-induced mortality, and chronic entanglement can reduce reproductive success and fitness, particularly in critically endangered species like the North Atlantic Right Whales. Along the Atlantic coast, large whales and sea turtles have suffered from entanglements in the vertical lines of the U.S. American lobster fishery despite the existence of an alternative gear type - ropeless fishing gear.

Ropeless fishing gear eliminates the vertical line that is used in traditional fixed-fishing gear systems and allows fishermen to continue to fish without the risk of entangling marine life in the vertical lines. Unfortunately, the transition to ropeless fishing gear has been met with fierce opposition from fishermen. While NOAA's ropeless gear testing program boasts a 90% success rate, the gear has not been implemented in fisheries with a history of entanglements, like the U.S. American lobster fishery. 

If swift action is not taken, history will continue to repeat itself as large whales and sea turtles endure horrific entanglements in the fixed-gear fisheries, including the U.S. American lobster fishery. 

Sign the petition below to urge legislators to take immediate action to ban the use of vertical lines in fixed-gear fisheries to protect large whales and sea turtles from horrific entanglements and show your support of the transition to ropeless fishing gear.