This project aims to be the first study of its size to evaluate POP-up buoy technology as a viable alternative to traditional crabbing gear while reducing the impact of fishing on migrating whale…

This $386,590 cooperative agreement from the Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will support Puget Buoy LLC's project to evaluate pop-up buoy technology as an alternative crab fishing gear. The funding will allow Puget Buoy to test 150 of its pop-up buoy units on five commercial Dungeness crab fishing vessels in California state fisheries from August 1, 2022 through January 31, 2024. Key tasks include collecting data on performance indicators such as recovery rate, operating speed, time spent in the water column, and consumer feedback to provide detailed metrics to state fishery management on the solution's performance. The project aims to reduce the impact of fishing on migrating whale populations under NOAA's $386,590 Unallied Science Program grant, which provides research support on fishery and protected marine resources.

This project aims to be the first study of its size to evaluate POP-up buoy technology as a viable alternative to traditional crabbing gear while reducing the impact of fishing on migrating whale populations. While in the product research and development phase, funding will support the following tasks: 1) test 150 puget buoy units on 5 commercial dungeness crab fishing vessels in california state fisheries; 2) collect data following key performance indicators: recovery rate, operating speed, the amount of time line spends in the water column, and consumer feedback; and 3) return performance analysis to state fishery management personnel that provides detailed performance metrics of our solution.