Wild Animals

Wild Dolphin Bycatch and Fishing Gear Welfare

Incidental capture of dolphins and porpoises in fishing gear causes severe suffering and death for hundreds of thousands of cetaceans annually, representing a major preventable welfare crisis.

Key Facts

An estimated 300,000 cetaceans die as bycatch in fishing nets each year globally
Common dolphins and harbor porpoises are among the most affected species
Entanglement in gillnets causes drowning, which can take several minutes of distress
Pingers and other acoustic deterrents significantly reduce porpoise entanglement
Some small cetacean populations are driven toward extinction by fishing bycatch

Welfare Considerations

Dolphins and porpoises caught in fishing gear drown after struggling against the entanglement, a death involving sustained physical stress and probable terror over minutes. The sheer scale of cetacean bycatch globally represents one of the largest sources of wildlife mortality from human activity. Proven technical solutions including acoustic pingers, modified net configurations, and real-time bycatch monitoring can substantially reduce cetacean suffering in fisheries.

What You Can Do

Support organizations campaigning for mandatory bycatch reduction technology in fishing fleets
Choose seafood certified by programs that monitor and reduce cetacean bycatch
Advocate for government enforcement of existing bycatch regulations
Learn about the vaquita and other cetaceans on the brink due to bycatch mortality