Wildlife

Marine Mammal Bycatch and Entanglement Welfare

Entanglement in fishing gear causes prolonged suffering and death for thousands of marine mammals annually.

Key Facts

An estimated 300,000 cetaceans die annually as bycatch in fishing gear worldwide
Entanglement in fishing lines and nets causes drowning, starvation, and severe injury before death
Ghost gear — abandoned fishing equipment — continues to entangle and kill marine mammals for years
Large whales can drag fishing gear for months, causing chronic wound infections and exhaustion
Ropeless fishing technology and gear modifications can significantly reduce entanglement risk

Welfare Considerations

Marine mammal entanglement causes some of the most prolonged and visible suffering in wildlife. A whale dragging fishing gear for months experiences infection, tissue damage, and exhaustion in a drawn-out death that can be observed and documented. Dolphins trapped in purse seine nets and gillnets drown within minutes to hours. Both outcomes represent preventable welfare harms that gear modification, fishing practice reform, and ghost gear recovery programs can address.

What You Can Do

Choose seafood certified by programs with bycatch reduction requirements for marine mammals
Support ghost gear removal organizations like Ghost Fishing Foundation
Advocate for mandatory use of ropeless fishing gear in areas with endangered whale populations
Support organizations monitoring and disentangling entangled whales and seals
Reduce seafood consumption to decrease demand driving fishing intensity