GOSAF Snow Crab FIP

Fishery Type

Pots/Traps

Ocean Region

Northern Atlantic Ocean

Target Species

Snow Crab

Bycatch Species

Marine Mammals

This project has pioneered ropeless fishing systems since 2020. In 2022, 10 participating fishers deployed more than 1,000 fully ropeless crab pots in waters closed to fishing with buoy lines, with a retrieval rate of 96 percent and a total catch of more than 450,000 lbs of snow crab. The FIP was started in part with encouragement from US supermarket chain and longtime SFP partner Publix Super Markets, in response to the fishery’s loss of MSC certification due to interactions with North Atlantic right whales.