Harbour Porpoise Bycatch: A Welfare Crisis in UK Coastal Waters

Harbour porpoises are the most commonly bycaught cetacean in UK waters. Gillnets and static gear kill thousands annually in a largely invisible welfare and conservation crisis.

Key Facts

Harbour porpoises are the UK most common cetacean, found throughout coastal waters
An estimated 1,000-7,000 harbour porpoises are killed as bycatch in UK fisheries each year
Static gillnets and bottom-set nets are the primary cause of porpoise bycatch
Acoustic deterrent devices called pingers can reduce porpoise bycatch by up to 90% on static gear
EU regulations require pinger use on many gillnet vessels but enforcement is inconsistent

Welfare Considerations

Harbour porpoises drown in gillnets after entanglement, a process that causes severe physiological stress and takes several minutes. As active breathers, denial of air causes rapid distress. Post-mortem examinations of stranded porpoises frequently show rib fractures and other evidence of net entanglement. The technical solution — mandatory pinger use — exists and is highly effective, but patchy enforcement allows continued mass mortality. This makes harbour porpoise bycatch among the most addressable marine mammal welfare crises.

What You Can Do

Support campaigns for mandatory pinger use on all static gear in UK and EU waters
Back improved fisheries observer coverage to document actual bycatch rates
Choose seafood from fisheries certified to avoid cetacean bycatch
Report stranded porpoises showing signs of entanglement to the CSIP strandings programme