In partnership with the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR), Blue Water Concepts (BWC), and industry associations throughout New England, FBE facilitated the testing process of the Time Tension Line Cutter (TTLC), a device developed by Blue Water Concepts. The TTLC was developed as a modification alternative to meet the new regulations to reduce vertical line entanglement of North Atlantic right whales. The TTLC is a device deployed on vertical end lines used for trap/pot fisheries and enables normal loads associated with fishing practices to be applied to the end line for a pre-set amount of time, before the device severs the end line, allowing a struggling whale to be freed. FBE managed outreach, device testing distribution, and data synthesis to assist BWC and DMR with testing this device for use in New England fixed gear fisheries.
