Smelts Sea Mammal Education Learning Training Society

TO REDUCE HARMFUL HUMAN & MARINE LIFE INTERACTION BY RESEARCHING, EDUCATING & DEVELOPING TECHNOLOGY.

SMELTS IS A 501 C 3 NON-PROFIT FORMED IN 2014 BY FOUNDERS ANNMARIE RIELS AND RICHARD RIELS, OUR FOCUS IS SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT TO REDUCE OR ELIMINATE NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF HUMAN INTERACTIONS WITH MARINE LIFE. SMELTS IS CURRENTLY FOCUSING ON ENTANGLEMENT PREVENTION TO WHALES AND OTHER MARINE LIFE IN BOTTOM SET FISHING GEAR. SMELTS CO-FOUNDER RICHARD RIELS INVENTED A LINE LESS LIFT BAG TECHNOLOGY WHICH REMOVES VERTICAL LINES AND BUOYS FROM BOTTOM SET FISHERIES. THIS DEVELOPMENT OF LINE FREE FISHING WILL HELP REDUCE OR END ENTANGLEMENT IN THE CRITICALLY ENDANGERED NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALES AND OTHER MARINE LIFE. (CONTINUED IN SCHEDULE O)SMELTS LINE LESS FISHING TECHNOLOGY HAS A PRIORITY TO PROVIDE PROTECTION FOR MARINE MAMMALS AND BE USED AS INNOVATIVE TOOLS FOR THE COMMERCIAL FISHING INDUSTRY. MARINE SCIENTISTS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE HAVE DOCUMENTED THAT THE LINE AND BUOY SYSTEM IN POT/TRAP FISHERIES HAS CAUSED INJURY AND DEATH TO WHALES, ENDANGERED SEA TURTLES AND OTHER MARINE LIFE. SUB-LETHAL INJURIES WHICH HAS REDUCED REPRODUCTIVE CAPABILITY IN MARINE MAMMALS DUE TO THE NEGATIVE EFFECT FROM ENTANGLEMENT. THERE ARE MANY MARINE ANIMALS THAT ARE LISTED UNDER THE MARINE MAMMAL PROTECTION ACT (MMPA) AND ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT (ESA) THAT SMELTS HAVE PRIORITY TO DEVELOP A SOLUTION TO PROTECT SUCH CREATURES FROM INJURY. SMELTS LINE LESS LIFT BAG TECHNOLOGY REMOVES THE NEED FOR VERTICAL LINES AND BUOYS NEEDED TO HAUL BOTTOM SET TRAP/POT FISHERIES WHICH IS THE CURRENT SYSTEM FOR BOTTOM SET FISHING. LARGE CETACEAN ENTANGLEMENTS HAVE THREATENED CLOSURES FOR COMMERCIAL BOTTOM SET FISHING. SMELTS HAS HAD GREAT INTEREST AND SUPPORT FOR ITS LINE LESS LIFT BAG TECHNOLOGY FROM THE ISLAND FOUNDATION, SR 3, NOAA, PEW CHARITABLE TRUST, NATIONAL FISH AND WILDLIFE FOUNDATION, DIVISION OF MARINE FISHERIES MASSACHUSETTS, CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE, PACIFIC MAMMAL RESEARCH, MARINE-MED, BLUE PLANET STRATEGIES, STELLWAGEN BANK NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY, WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION, AND NORTHEAST FISHERIES SCIENCE CENTER. SMELTS HAS 2 VOLUNTEERS ON ITS BOARD CINDY ELLISER PHD. OF PACIFIC MAMMAL RESEARCH ORGANIZATION AND STEPHANIE NORMAN DVM, MS, PHD OF MARINE MED ORGANIZATION. SMELTS UNDERSTANDS THE IMPORTANCE OF "ALL HANDS-ON DECK" TO WORK ON A SOLUTION FOR THE ISSUE OF MARINE MAMMAL ENTANGLEMENT AND THE FUTURE OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO COMMERCIAL BOTTOM SET FISHING. SMELTS HAS PARTNERED WITH US VENDORS TO PROVIDE AMERICAN COMMERCE AND AN EASY ACCESS TO PARTS AND EQUIPMENT NEEDED TO PRODUCE INNOVATIVE LINE LESS LIFT BAG FISHING SYSTEMS. SMELTS HAS SET UP FORMAL PURCHASING ACCOUNTS WITH THESE VENDORS AND HAS HAD SUCCESS IN FINDING ALL PARTS AND EQUIPMENT NEEDED TO MAKE ITS SYSTEMS. IN THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING SMELTS HAS FOUND THAT ITS LINE LESS TECHNOLOGY HAS CAPABILITY FOR MANY APPLICATIONS IN SHALLOW TO DEEP WATERS BY SIMPLE ADJUSTMENTS OF ITS COMPONENT CONFIGURATIONS.DURING 2021, SMELTS HAS CONTINUED RESEARCH ON THE ISSUE OF MARINE ANIMAL ENTANGLEMENTS FROM COMMERCIAL FISHING AND CONTINUES TO DEVELOP TECHNOLOGIES TO AID IN THE AVOIDANCE OF ENTANGLEMENTS. WITH THE KNOWLEDGE FROM THIS RESEARCH SMELTS HAS DEVELOPED A NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR THE GILLNET FISHING INDUSTRY, 6 PROTOTYPES HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED AND TESTED AND FISHED IN THE GULF OF MAINE OFF COMMERCIAL FISHING VESSELS. SMELTS CONTINUES TO BUILD ITS ROPELESS TECHNOLOGY FOR THE LOBSTER INDUSTRY AND HAS TRAINED AND SUPPORTED SEVERAL COMMERCIAL FISHERMEN WHO HAVE BEEN FISHING THIS GEAR. SMELTS IS PREPARING TO INSTALL THE FIRST IN HULL MOUNT DIRECTIONAL ACOUSTIC TRANSPONDER (DAT) INTO THE HULL OF OUR PARTNER FISHERMAN'S COMMERCIAL LOBSTER VESSEL. THE NEED FOR THIS IS TO AID IN THE SUBSEA VISIBILITY OF ROPELESS TECHNOLOGY, THIS WILL GIVE REGULATORY AGENTS THE ABILITY TO REGULATE THIS TECHNOLOGY AND FISHERMEN TO SEE THE TECHNOLOGY AND TO REMOVE THE POSSIBILITY OF GEAR OVERLAY. IN THE COMING YEAR SMELTS WILL INSTALL THE DAT SYSTEM INTO 2 COMMERCIAL LOBSTER FISHING VESSELS AND TEST IT WITH PARTNER COMMERCIAL FISHERMEN, SMELTS WILL ALSO CONTINUE TO BUILD RELATIONS WITH ADDITIONAL COMMERCIAL FISHERMEN TO TRAIN AND SUPPORT THEM ON THE USE OF ALL SMELTS ROPELESS FISHING TECHNOLOGY.