Marine Animals

Wild Minke Whale Welfare and Bycatch

Minke whales are the most common large whale in UK waters and face bycatch mortality from creel and gill fishing gear.

Key Facts

Minke whales enter coastal UK waters from spring to autumn
They forage in areas overlapping with static gear fisheries
Entangled minkes may drag gear for extended periods before dying
Disentanglement teams including British Divers Marine Life Rescue respond to reports
Reported bycatch is an underestimate of actual mortality

Welfare Considerations

Minke whales entangled in fishing gear die slowly from rope wounds and exhaustion. Each entangled whale that is not quickly freed represents prolonged individual suffering. Improving fishery observer coverage, gear modification, and disentanglement response capacity are the primary welfare interventions for minke whale bycatch.

What You Can Do

Report entangled whales to British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR)
Support campaigns for mandatory observer coverage in UK fisheries
Advocate for creel gear modifications to reduce cetacean entanglement