Whales, dolphins and porpoises are caught accidentally in fishing gear worldwide. New technological solutions are reducing bycatch, but regulatory adoption remains the critical challenge.
Cetaceans caught as bycatch experience acute distress and painful death from drowning or entanglement injury. For species like the harbour porpoise and the critically endangered vaquita - with only around 10 individuals remaining - bycatch is the primary driver of extinction risk. The solutions exist: pingers, modified gear, fishing exclusion zones and observer programmes. The barrier is consistent regulatory adoption and enforcement. Consumer demand for bycatch-certified seafood creates market pressure, but market mechanisms alone are insufficient - regulatory requirements with meaningful penalties are needed to drive universal adoption of bycatch reduction technology.