Marine Mammal Bycatch Welfare and Scale

Hundreds of thousands of dolphins, porpoises, and whales die as unintended bycatch in commercial fisheries each year.

Key Facts

An estimated 300,000 cetaceans die in fishing gear annually worldwide
Gillnets are the most dangerous gear type for small cetaceans like harbor porpoises
Bycatch animals may drown over many minutes in a trapped, panicked state
The vaquita porpoise faces extinction with fewer than 20 individuals remaining
Acoustic deterrents called pingers can reduce cetacean bycatch significantly

Welfare Considerations

Marine mammal bycatch represents mass welfare harm that occurs largely out of public view beneath the ocean surface. Dolphins, porpoises, and whales caught in fishing nets experience a harrowing death — they struggle, are unable to surface for air, and drown over a period that can extend to many minutes. For highly social, cognitively complex animals that experience social attachment and distress, this death involves suffering qualitatively different from a simple drowning. Scale matters: 300,000 cetacean deaths annually is an ongoing catastrophe.

What You Can Do

Choose seafood certified to low-bycatch standards
Support deployment of acoustic pinger technology in high-risk fisheries
Advocate for restrictions on gillnet use in critical cetacean habitat
Donate to organizations monitoring and reducing marine mammal bycatch