Whalesafe Gear Compliance Kits — Low-Breaking-Strength + Training
Be closure-ready. We supply low-breaking-strength (LBS) components (≈1,700 lbf), rigging diagrams (single endline), and dockside install with photo sign-off—mapped to DFO’s 2025 North Atlantic right whale measures. If you’re eligible and choose to participate in DFO’s whalesafe gear pilot, you may be authorized to keep fishing during shallow-water prohibitions in dynamic zones by meeting specific gear requirements.
Primary CTA: Request a kit quote
Secondary CTA: Download the closure cheat-sheet (PDF)
What’s in the kit
- LBS gear (per trawl): DFO-recognized weak rope/links engineered to break around 1,700 lbf to reduce entanglement severity. We tailor placement and splice instructions to your licence conditions.
- One-end-only rig & trawl-up diagram: A practical layout consistent with current notices (e.g., 5-trap minimum, one endline, LBS device at ≥50% of buoy-line length—final wording comes from your licence).
- Dockside install & sign-off: We splice, tension-check, and create a photo log for your records.
- Reporting cards: Step-by-step links/QRs for lost gear and marine-mammal interaction reporting (licence requirements).
- Optional add-on: Smart buoys (satellite-connected) for gear tracking and drift alerts—piloted in Atlantic Canada under the Ghost Gear program.
- Optional track: On-demand (“ropeless”) integration (e.g., Ashored ROC acoustic release) for authorized pilots/closed-area access.
Why it matters for closures
DFO’s 2025 framework includes a shallow-water protocol and, in dynamic zones, a voluntary whalesafe gear pilot. Eligible, participating harvesters using recognized whalesafe gear can be authorized to continue fishing during shallow-water prohibitions; non-participants must withdraw gear per the protocol. We map your kit to the current notice for your area.
How rollout works (fast)
- License & LFA review → confirm pilot eligibility, gear-marking, and reporting duties.
- BOM sizing → rope diameter/lengths, trawls, and LBS device count (plus spares).
- Dockside install → splice LBS device(s), single-endline rig, tension check, photo sign-off.
- Crew briefing (30–45 min) → trawl-up workflow, device placement, retrieval safety, reporting.
- Optional smart-buoy setup → thresholds, alert routing, and app login.
FAQs
What exactly is “whalesafe gear”?
Two categories: (1) Low-breaking-strength (LBS) rope/links designed to part around 1,700 lbf, and (2) on-demand (“ropeless”) systems that eliminate a fixed vertical line by releasing gear on an acoustic signal.
Is the pilot guaranteed in my fishery?
No—eligibility and conditions are area- and fishery-specific. In 2025, DFO introduced a whalesafe pilot option in dynamic zones; authorization to fish during shallow-water prohibitions requires meeting specific gear requirements spelled out by DFO.
Do we still have to mark lines and report losses?
Yes. Gear-marking is required in fixed-gear fisheries, and lost-gear reporting is a licence condition (DFO provides an online form). We include both requirements in your rollout.
Do smart buoys change compliance rules?
No—they don’t replace licence conditions, but they help prevent ALDFG and speed retrieval (useful under dynamic closures). Blue Ocean Gear smart buoys have been piloted in Atlantic Canada through the Ghost Gear Fund.
Can you help us evaluate on-demand gear?
Yes—we support acoustic on-demand release system–style deployments (acoustic release + deck workflow) where authorized, and align with Canada’s Whalesafe Fishing Gear Strategy pathway for on-demand gear.
Compliance note
We implement vendor-agnostic solutions and align every kit with your license wording, DFO’s 2025 NARW measures, and any current LFA notice (e.g., one-endline, LBS placement, trawl minimums). Always follow your official conditions.