Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team

Team Members

Trap/Pot Fishery

1. Hank Soule, Atlantic Offshore Lobstermen's Association
2. Scott Buff, Southport, NC
3. Greg Mataronas, Rhode Island Lobstermen's Association (Alternate: Peter Brodeur)
4. Dwight Carver, Beals, ME (Alternate: Dustin Delano)
5. Beth Casoni, Massachusetts Lobstermen's Association (Alternate: Jeff Bartlett)
6. John Haviland, South Shore Lobstermen's Association (Alternate: Mike Lane)
7. Raymond King, Atlantic Beach, FL
8. Patrice McCarron, Maine Lobstermen's Association (Alternate: Ben Martens)
9. Vacant, trap/pot, Massachusetts
10. Bob Nudd, Jr., New Hampshire Lobstermen's Association (Alternate: Damon Frampton)
11. Kristan Porter, Maine Lobstermen's Association (Alternate: Virginia Olsen)
12. Vacant, Mid-Atlantic trap/pot, mid-Atlantic
13. Jeff Putnam, Chebeague Island, Maine (Alternate: Chris McIntire)
14. Grant Moore, Westport MA (Alternate: Jon Williams)
15. Greg DiDomenico, Garden State Seafood Association* (Alternate: Warren Appel)
16. Sonny Gwin, Berlin, MD*
17. Wes Townsend, Dagsboro, DE*

Gillnet Fishery

*Some trap/pot members also represent the gillnet industry. 

1. Vacant, gillnet fishery, NY
2. Charlie Locke, Wanchese, NC
3. Scott MacAllister, Orleans, MA
4. Jay Driscoll, Wolfeboro, NH
5. Liam Sullivan, Newport, RI (Alternate: Todd Sutton)
6. Chris Rainone, Viking Village, NJ (Alternate: Rick Marks)

Conservation/Environmental Groups

1. Regina Asmutis-Silvia, Whale and Dolphin Conservation (Alternate: Andrea Bogomolni)
2. Jane Davenport, Defenders of Wildlife (Alternate: Sierra Weaver)
3. Brian Sharp, International Fund for Animal Welfare (Alternate: Kathleen Collins)
4. Kristen Monsell, Center for Biological Diversity (Alternate: Sarah Uhlemann)
5. Mason Weinrich, Gloucester, MA
6. Erica Fuller, Conservation Law Foundation (Alternate: Andrea Bogomolni)

State Fishery Resource Managers

1. Chris Davis, Virginia Marine Resources Commission (Alternate: Patrick Geer) *pending
2. Vacant, Maryland Department of Natural Resources (Alternate: Amanda Weschler)
3. Jessica Thompson, Georgia Department of Natural Resources
4. Colleen Bouffard, Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection
5. Robert Glenn, Massachusetts Department of Marine Fisheries (Alternate: Erin Burke)
6. Audrey Ostroski, Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife (Alternate: Richard Wong)
7. Chris McDonough, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
8. Barbie Byrd, North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries (Alternate: Casey Knight)
9. Scott Olszewski, Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife (Alternate: Corinne Truesdale)
10. Renee Zobel, New Hampshire Fish and Game Department
11. Tom Pitchford, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
12. Chad Power, New Jersey Division of Fish, Game, and Wildlife (Alternate: Peter Clarke)
13. Meghan Rickard, New York Department of Environmental Conservation (Alternate: Jesse Hornstein)
14. Erin Summers, Maine Department of Marine Resources (Alternate: Megan Ware)

Federal Resource Managers

1. Michael Asaro, NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office
2. Andy Read*, Marine Mammal Commission (Alternate: Dee Allen) *pending
3. Kristy Long, NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources
4. David Wiley, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
5. Kara Shervanick, NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office (Alternate: Jessica Powell)

Fishery Management Organizations

1. Robin Frede*, New England Fishery Management Council (*pending)
2. Hayden Dubniczki*, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Alternate: Kiley Dancy) *pending
3. Charlie Phillips, South Atlantic Fishery Management Council
4. Toni Kerns, Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Alternate: Caitlin Starks)

Academic/Scientific Groups

1. Robert Kenney, University of Rhode Island (Alternate: Tim Werner)
2. Amy Knowlton, New England Aquarium (Alternate: Heather Pettis)
3. Daniel Palacios, Center for Coastal Studies *pending
4. Bill McLellan, University of North Carolina-Wilmington
5. Nicholas Record, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences
6. Scott Landry, Center for Coastal Studies (Alternate: Bob Lynch)
7. Alternate: Sue Barco
8. Erin Meyer-Gutbrod, University of South Carolina

Upcoming Team Meetings & Webinars

Summer Webinars 

Wednesday, July 16, 2025, 3-4 pm
Unusual Mortality Events: Large Whale Updates
Presenter: Deborah Fauquier, Marine Mammal Unusual Mortality Events Program Coordinator, OPR
Register

Wednesday, September 10, 2025, 2:30-4:30 pm
Evaluating North Atlantic Right Whale Persistence
Presenters: Lance Garrison, Research Fishery Biologist, SERO
Caroline Good, Large Whale Ecologist, OPR
Meghan Gahm, Protected Species Biologist, OPR
Jean Higgins, Protected Species Conservation Branch Supervisor, GARFO
Alicia Schuler, Regional Large Whale Ship Strike Reduction Coordinator, GARFO
Register

Recent Team Meetings & Webinars

Wednesday, June 4, 2025, 3-4:30 pm
Right Whale Monitoring and Detection Along the East Coast
Presenters: Alison Ogilvie, Whale Ecology Program, NEFSC
Sarah Leiter, Maine DMR
Dan Engelhaupt, HDR Inc. (video only, not in slides)
Kara Shervanick, Southeast Right Whale Coordinator, SERO
Register to watch the recorded webinar
Slides

Wednesday, May 21, 2025, 3-4:30 pm
On Demand Gear Research and Development
Presenters: MITRE and NEFSC Risk Assessment and Mitigation Branch
Register to watch the recorded webinar 
Slides

Informational Webinar: Population, Entanglements, Council Actions, Enforcement Activities, Risk Reduction
December 20, 2024, 10 am - 12:30 pm
Register to watch the webinar
Slides

Webinar: NOAA & MITRE WEBINAR: Updates on the Assessments of Acoustic Interoperability Standards of On Demand Gear
Thursday, August 29, 2024, 1-2:30 p.m.
Register to watch the recorded webinar
Slide Presentation

Annual Informational Webinar
Tuesday, March 19, 2024, 3-6 p.m.
Agenda
Slide Presentation
Register to watch the recorded webinar

Webinar: North Atlantic Right Whale Population Viability Analysis and Population Estimate
Monday, November 6, 2023, 4:30 p.m
Register to watch the recorded webinar.
Slide presentation (PDF, 39 pp)

Webinar: Results of the DST Peer Review
June 15, 2023, 4 p.m.–5:30 p.m.
Register to watch the recorded webinar
Slide presentation (PDF, 42 pp)

DST Peer Review
An Independent Peer Review of the Phase 2-3 Expanded Decision Support Tool created for the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team
Monday-Wednesday, 1/30-2/1, 2023, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
More information

ALWTRT Team Meeting (Virtual)
November 14, 15, 17, 18, and December 1–2, 2022
Meeting Summary (PDF, 68 pp)

Schedule:
Monday, 11/14, 2–6 p.m. Slide Presentation (PDF, 74 pp)
Tuesday, 11/15, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Slide Presentation (PDF, 67 pp)
Thursday, 11/17, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Slide Presentation (PDF, 40 pp)
Friday, 11/18, 9 a.m.–2:30 p.m. Slide Presentation (PDF, 19 pp)

Thursday, 12/1, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Slide Presentation (PDF, 41 pp)
Friday, 12/2, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Slide Presentation (PDF, 41 pp)

Right Whale Model Webinar and Q&A for Take Reduction Team
November 10, 2022, 2–4 p.m.
Register to watch recorded webinar
Presentation (PDF, 7 pp)

ALWTRT Webinar: DST Analysis Results in Preparation for November Team Meeting
November 9, 2022, 6–9 p.m.
Register to watch recorded webinar
Presentation (PDF, 61 pp)

Follow-up virtual ALWTRT meetings for deliberations
Agenda
September 19, 2022,1–5:15 p.m. Slide Presentation (PDF, 77 pp)
September 22, 2022, 1–5 p.m. Slide Presentation (PDF, 59 pp)
September 30, 10 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Slide Presentation (PDF, 20 pp)

Updated DST Analyses from May 2022 Measure Packages
September 8, 2022, 2:30-5:30 p.m.
Pre-meeting webinar to present the updated results from the measure collections. We will include additional materials from the model runs for the team to peruse prior to the follow-up meeting.
Register to watch the recorded webinar
Presentation slides (PDF, 108 pp)

Southeast Risk Update and Southeast Caucus Discussion
September 1, 2022, 2:30 p.m.
(Only for Southeast Caucus; not recorded)

Coastwide Baseline DST Fishery Updates
August 25, 2022, 2:30 p.m.
Register to watch the recorded webinar

Phase 1 Update
August 18, 2022, 2:30 p.m.
Register to watch the recorded webinar
Meeting Slides (PDF, 51 pp)

Informational Webinar on the Ropeless Roadmap
August 11, 2022, 2:30 p.m.
Register to watch the recorded webinar

Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team Meeting
May 9-13, 2022 (virtual)
Agenda and Meeting Link
Meeting Summary

DST Model Run Demonstration Webinar
April 28, 2022, 2–4 p.m.
Register to watch recorded webinar

An overview of current regulations relevant to Phase 2 - Webinar
March 30, 2022, 3–5 p.m.
Register to watch recorded webinar

DST Update Webinar
March 29, 2022, 3–5 p.m.
Register to watch recorded webinar
Review the slide deck

Informational Webinar
February 24, 2022, 3–4:30 p.m.
Register to view recording

Informational webinar
January 18, 2022: 3–4:30 p.m.
Register to view recording
See the agenda

Informational webinar on ALWTRT large whale populations
November 2, 2021: 4–6 p.m.
Register to watch the recorded meeting
Presentation (PDF, 46 slides)

Informational webinar on ALWTRP Phase 1 Modifications
September 30, 2021
Register to watch the recorded meeting

Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team Meeting
June 28 and July 1, 2021: 3–6 pm ET
Scoping Ideas Summary
Key Outcomes
Agenda

Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team Meeting
May 10, 2021: 3–6 pm ET
Key Outcomes

NEUS Right Whale Monitoring Update
April 15, 2021: 5pm–7pm ET
Meeting Recording (59:01)

Canada’s NARW Fisheries Management Measures (Adam Burns, DFO)
April 8, 2021, 5pm–7pm ET 
Meeting Recording (57:29)

Informational Webinar: Entanglement Summary
April 1, 2021, 5–7pm ET
Meeting Recording (1:34:29)
Slide Presentation

Informational Webinar: Calving Update
March 25, 2021, 5–7pm ET
Meeting Recording (44:36)

Informational Webinar: Updated Decision Support Tool
March 18, 2021, 5–7pm ET
Meeting Recording Complete (2:05:44)

To review particular sections, you can choose to visit these portions of the presentation:

Part 1: Introduction

• Decision Support Tool Updates (0:03:43 - 0:15:28)

Part 2: Decision Support Tool Development

• Slides 14-19: DST Overview (0:15:28 - 0:33:10)
• Slides 20-29: Estimating Vertical Lines (0:33:10 - 0:45:56)
• Slides 30-31: Gear Threat Model (0:45:56 - 0:49:55)
• Slides 32-35: Management Options (0:49:55 - 0:59:20)
• Slide 36: Peer Review (0:59:20 - 1:00:12)

Q&A Middle (1:00:12 - 1:22:48)

Part 3: Updating Whale Distribution Models

• Slides 37-44: Whale Distribution Model (1:22:48 - 1:34:28)

Part 4: Decision Support Tool Current Status and Future Plans

• Slides 46-51: Status of the Fisheries (1:34:28 - 1:45:27)
• Slides 52-53: Shiny App Development (1:45:27 - 1:48:00)
• Slide 54: Current Action (1:48:00 - 1:49:15)
• Slides 55-56: DST Challenges (1:49:15 - 1:54:41)
• Slide 57: DST Expansion (1:54:41 - 1:56:44)

Q&A End (1:56:44 - 2:05:44)

Informational Webinar: Update on Right Whale Population and Mortality Estimates
March 11, 2021, 5–7pm ET
Meeting Recording (1:28:50)

Telemeeting
February 25, 2021
Meeting Recording (1:52:48)

Telemeeting
January 2021

Team Meeting
Providence, RI
April 2019
Meeting Summary (PDF, 15 pages)

Team Meeting
October 2018
Providence, RI
Meeting Summary (PDF, 21 pages) 

Team Meeting
April 2018
Warwick,RI
Meeting Summary (PDF, 15 pages)

Team Meeting
March 2018
Providence, RI
Meeting Summary (PDF, 10 pages) 

Team Meeting
February 2018
Conference Calls
Meeting Summary (PDF, 6 pages) 
Meeting Summary (PDF, 6 pages) 

Team Meeting
November 2017
Conference Call
Meeting Summary (PDF, 8 pages) 

Team Meeting
April 2017
Providence, RI
Meeting Summary (PDF, 23 pages) 

Team Meeting
November 2016
Conference Call
Meeting Summary (PDF, 5 pages) 

Team Meeting
May 2016
Gloucester, MA
Meeting Summary (PDF, 4 pages) 

Team Meeting
November 2015
Conference Call
Meeting Summary (PDF, 7 pages) 

Team Meeting
January 2015
Providence, RI
Meeting Summary (PDF, 15 pages) 

More Information

• Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan

Contact: Jennifer Goebel, Greater Atlantic Region, Take Reduction Team Coordinator, jennifer.goebel@noaa.gov or Rob Martin, Gear Liaison, (617) 710-6322