Extension Specialist Ken La Valley is the recipient of a $48,000 grant to develop an automated fixed gear marking technology to help the National Marine Fisheries Service increase its understanding of fishing gear and whale interactions with the goal of reducing entanglements.

The proposed system will use micro-chip and GPS technology to track fishing efforts in real time and allow scientists to pinpoint the specific locations where whale entanglements occur. Ken will be collaborating with Blue Water Concepts, Inc., a marine consulting from Kittery, Maine. The funds will be awarded through a joint project of the International Foundation for Animal Welfare and the National Marine Fisheries Service.