Common Dolphin Bycatch and Welfare Crisis

Common dolphins are among the most frequently killed cetaceans as bycatch in fishing operations in the Bay of Biscay and elsewhere, with thousands dying annually in conditions that cause extreme distress.

Key Facts

An estimated 10,000 common dolphins die as bycatch in French and Spanish pelagic pair trawlers annually in the Bay of Biscay
Strandings of common dolphins on French Atlantic beaches reached record levels of over 1,200 in 2021 and 2023
The EU Common Fisheries Policy requires mitigation measures but enforcement has been widely criticised as inadequate
Common dolphins live in large social groups of hundreds and show sophisticated cooperative hunting behaviour
Acoustic pingers on nets can reduce dolphin entanglement but are not universally deployed

Welfare Considerations

Bycatch death in fishing nets represents one of the most significant cetacean welfare crises in European waters. Dolphins entangled in trawl nets experience extreme panic and drowning after exhausting all air reserves. Post-mortem examinations of stranded dolphins show rib fractures, internal bleeding, and net marks consistent with violent struggling. Animals that escape entanglement may be injured and disoriented. The scale of mortality, affecting tens of thousands annually across all cetacean bycatch globally, dwarfs the welfare impact of whaling in terms of individual animals affected.

What You Can Do

Support Dolphin Conservation Society campaigns for mandatory bycatch mitigation in European fisheries
Choose sustainable seafood with MSC certification that includes bycatch reduction requirements
Advocate for comprehensive at-sea observer coverage on fishing vessels to document and reduce dolphin bycatch
Contact MEPs and fisheries ministers demanding stronger enforcement of bycatch regulations