With the help of the ALWTRT, NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) developed the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan (ALWTRP) in 1997 to reduce the level of serious injury and mortality of three strategic stocks of large whales (North Atlantic right, humpback, and fin) in commercial gillnet and trap/pot fisheries. The measures identified in the ALWTRP were also intended to benefit minke whales, which are not designated as a strategic stock, but are known to be taken incidentally in gillnet and trap/pot fisheries. In general, the ALWTRP consists of a combination of regulatory and non-regulatory programs, including broad gear modifications, time-area closures, expanded disentanglement efforts, extensive outreach efforts in key areas, gear research, and an expanded right whale surveillance program to supplement the Mandatory Ship Reporting System.
