Bycatch has ‘shocking’ toll on British marine life, first-ever analysis reveals
Summary
A new report reveals that thousands of protected marine animals, such as whales, dolphins, seals, and seabirds, die each year in British waters because they get caught accidentally by fishing boats. The report says many of these deaths could be prevented if better monitoring and fishing methods were used.Key Facts
- Over 1,000 harbour porpoises and common dolphins, 10,000 seabirds, and 500 seals die every year from accidental capture (bycatch) in UK fishing.
- Six humpback whales and 30 minke whales were found dead caught in ropes used by Scottish fishers.
- More than 1,000 endangered Atlantic salmon and 120 tonnes of protected sharks, skates, and rays are also caught and killed yearly as bycatch.
- Only a tiny fraction of UK fishing boats track bycatch, with just 0.05% of dredging vessels doing so.
- Gillnets, which hang in water like curtains, are especially harmful to seabirds like puffins and razorbills because they get trapped and drown.
- The report calls on the UK government to introduce stronger rules for monitoring and reducing bycatch, including using electronic monitoring on all fishing boats.
- Bycatch causes harm to marine ecosystems and means the UK is not meeting environmental goals for its seas.
- Conservation groups say governments have failed to address bycatch effectively and urge support for fishers to use safer, modern fishing methods.
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