Bycatch is a major factor impacting marine megafauna populations (marine mammals, sea birds, sea turtles), and burdening livelihoods of coastal, small-scale fisheries (SSF). Due to this, bycatch is not only a biological problem, but less obviously an economic and social issue. Developing countries with strong presence of artisanal or SSF often lack documentation of bycatch due to limited funds and personnel, technical training, and lack of reporting. 

​

Northern Peruvian waters mark the intersection of two large oceanic current systems. The warm, southern-traveling Equatorial Current system converges with the northern-traveling cold, nutrient-rich Humboldt Current ecosystem. These waters support both abundant marine life and the local fisherman who harvest the commercially valuable species. The dominant gear types aboard these vessels are passive gillnets and longline, which are known to have the highest rates of marine mammal bycatch globally. In recent years, there has been an increase in entanglements of the Southeast Pacific humpback whale (humpback) from gillnets and longline fishing gear in the northern coast of Peru. Whale entanglements cause an estimated average loss of $300 USD to the fishermen per gillnet pane. More importantly, there is risk to the fishers themselves if they decide to engage in untangling the animals. 

​

The  research focuses on the Southeast Pacific humpback whale in an ecologically significant but threatened area of their habitat in two fishing towns of northern Peru, Mancora and Cancas. (Fig. 1). Entanglements pose great threat to their recovery from whaling as their biannual migratory route and southern front of their breeding regions overlaps with these coastal fisheries.