Marine Mammal Bycatch: Welfare and Population Impacts

Entanglement in fishing gear kills hundreds of thousands of marine mammals annually - bycatch reduction technology and fisheries reform are critical welfare interventions.

Key Facts

An estimated 300,000 cetaceans and seals die in fishing gear annually worldwide
Entanglement causes drowning, starvation, injury, and prolonged suffering before death
Acoustic pingers (porpoise deterrents) have shown effectiveness in reducing small cetacean bycatch
Circle hooks and modified gear reduce sea turtle and marine mammal bycatch significantly
Observer programmes and electronic monitoring generate data essential for bycatch reduction

Welfare Considerations

Marine mammal bycatch is a welfare and conservation crisis at enormous scale. Entangled dolphins and porpoises struggle to reach the surface to breathe, drowning over minutes to hours. Entangled seals develop severe wounds from constricting gear. The welfare urgency of addressing bycatch is clear. Practical solutions - acoustic pingers, modified gear, and observer programmes - work and are cost-effective. Consumer choices that favour certified sustainable seafood create market pressure for bycatch reduction. Regulatory advocacy for strong bycatch standards in fisheries management is the highest-leverage action.

What You Can Do

Choose seafood certified by schemes with bycatch reduction requirements
Advocate for acoustic pingers and modified gear to be required in high-risk fisheries
Support organisations monitoring and reporting marine mammal bycatch
Reduce seafood consumption to lower overall fishing pressure