December 11, 2024
Having grown up in Marblehead, Massachusetts, Chris Buchanan is familiar with the fishing industry. He remembers the little harbor down his street filled with boats and activity, a holdout for commercial fishing. Chris says now there are maybe 4 boats left, all manned by older generations not able to carry on the livelihood of the town forever. He mourns the vibrant culture of his childhood that is now diminishing. But just as he is familiar with the plight of his town’s fishermen, he is also aware of the interwovenness of fishing and marine life. After hearing a story about right whales entangled in vertical fishing lines, Chris had a thought. Numerous industries operate at the expense of the environment, yet they all have sustainable alternatives that allow consumers a choice–free-range eggs, for example. Why can’t there be a choice for commercial fishing as well? And thus, Lineless Lobster was born.
Under the brand Lineless Lobster, Chris created the “gear guardian,” a piece of equipment that can be attached to lobster traps enabling fishing lines to break free if enough force, say, that of a whale, is exerted upon them. When the line snaps free, a recovery buoy is released, bringing the trap back to the surface and solving another problem plaguing fishermen: ghost gear.
If a whale ran into the line, it would break, the buoy would inflate, and the trap would rise to the surface.
Chris recognizes this may not be a long-term solution. He concedes that ropeless has the potential for impact, but with where the economics and technology are right now, it is not scalable. Sure, it may be implemented in the future, but right whales, and other marine life, do not have the luxury of time.
Similarly, Chris recognizes the importance of working with fishermen, not punishing them, especially in areas where they have cultural significance. With the knowledge that there needs to be a solution now, and that solution must provide incentives for fishermen, Chris turned to how he has solved similar problems in his entrepreneurial past: create software that increases the efficiency of an antiquated industry, build a customer base, and distribute that technology to local businesses who can be assured of better production and higher demand.
This middle ground that Chris continually finds himself gravitating towards aims to work with all stakeholders involved and demonstrates that different interests don’t have to be contrary. There are consumers who care about whales and want to lift up the fishing industry, just like Chris. With untapped demand, lower-impact fishing has the potential for great leaps in the sustainability space. Chris envisions the business model as pitching Lineless Lobster to lobster fishers. The company would provide new, more effective equipment for free, allowing Chris and his company control of the supply chain and the ability to go directly to consumers.
Even beyond the Gear Guardian, the lobster traps themselves have much room for improvement. The industry has been around for hundreds of years, and it has been about that long since any changes have been made to the traps. Though fishermen cannot be expected to bear the financial burden of equipment improvements, there is already a blueprint in place. The solar industry, for example, pays for consumers to install solar panels, and uses tax rebates and incentives to finance the operations. A similar method could be employed for the fishing industry.
Though there are many things to figure out, Chris emphasizes making small adjustments in the meantime. Why wait for the perfect solution to be ready when a better way of doing things could be implemented right now?
Chris is still working on this issue, eager to continue with it as it combines his passions: fishing, the environment, and technological innovation. Though he is optimistic about the potential for better fishing practices, that path to creating an interim solution has not always been easy.
When asked for a critical step in his entrepreneurial journey, Chris had an immediate answer: the 18 million dollar grant. After dedicating himself to the application, requesting a reasonable amount of money, and garnering support from politicians and the fishing industry, he received a “no.” The money went to ropeless trap companies. Though Chris supports ropeless solutions, it felt so business as usual, with no effort to try a slightly different solution, one that could have an impact right now, not years in the future. Though frustrated, Chris maintains the mindset that you just have to keep going. “If you have conviction on something, you’ll get there.”
Chris has that conviction. He believes the supply chain can be perfected, leading fishermen to receive new, lower-impact technology, while simultaneously protecting the environment and providing consumers with more options. So, he will keep working to bridge the gap between stakeholders, striving to meet somewhere in the middle.
Author: Tara Yakaboski