Trying to Help Marine Animals Tangled in Fishing Gear

Whales, sea turtles, dolphins, and seals have all been found entangled in fishing gear in the waters off the eastern seaboard. Some are able to disentangle themselves, some require assistance from trained first responders and still others are killed from the entanglement. On The Point, Mindy Todd talks about the impact of entanglements on the populations of large whales and leatherback sea turtles, and efforts underway to reduce the severity and occurrence of entanglements. Click these links to diagrams that show how lobster pot lines and gill net lines work, to help understand how animals can get into trouble with them.
Guests- Scott Landry, director of the Marine Animal Entanglement Response program at the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown.
Dr. Kara Dodge from the UMass Large Pelagics Research Center
Erin Burke, Protected Species Specialist, Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries