Common Dolphin Welfare and Pelagic Trawl Bycatch

Common dolphins are being killed in unprecedented numbers as bycatch in French pelagic trawl fisheries targeting sea bass in the Bay of Biscay.

Key Facts

Bycatch mortality of common dolphins in Bay of Biscay exceeded 10,000 annually from 2017-2020
France was taken to EU court over failure to implement required bycatch reduction measures
Common dolphins show high levels of interaction injuries from propeller strikes and net entanglement
The Bay of Biscay population may be declining from unsustainable bycatch levels
Observer coverage of pelagic trawl fisheries is inadequate to reliably estimate true mortality

Welfare Considerations

Common dolphins caught in pelagic trawls drown in the nets while struggling to escape. Trawl hauls that contain live dolphins show animals attempting to flee when the net is raised. Post-mortem examination reveals drowning, compression injuries from the trawl bag, and propeller injuries in animals that were struck before net entry. The scale of bycatch mortality, potentially tens of thousands annually across the Northeast Atlantic, represents an enormous welfare burden on a highly sentient, socially complex species.

What You Can Do

Support campaigns requiring France and the EU to implement effective bycatch reduction
Sign petitions calling for pelagic trawl restrictions in the Bay of Biscay
Donate to WDC and Bloom Association campaigns for dolphin bycatch reduction
Avoid sea bass from French pelagic trawl fisheries during campaigns
Raise awareness about common dolphin bycatch as an ongoing welfare crisis