Posts Tagged ‘Bycatch’
Norwegian whalers kill first minke whale of the season
Sadly, Norwegian whalers have killed the first minke whale this season. The whale was caught on Monday by the whaling ship Kato off the Finnmark coast. According to skipper Dag Myklebust, the whale was eight meters (26 feet) long and weighed around 1,700 kilograms (~3750 lbs). In February, we reported that Bjørnar Skjæran, Norway’s new…
Read MoreWDC funded research shows ‘pingers’ could save porpoises from fishing nets
Underwater sound devices called ‘pingers’ could be an effective, long-term way to prevent porpoises getting caught in fishing nets without having negative effects on their everyday behaviour. Newly published research part funded by WDC shows that porpoises in the seas off Cornwall were 37% less likely to be found close to an active pinger. Pingers…
Read MoreHey Maine- this fluke is for you!
In light of the deaths of six endangered right whales in Canada, Maine’s Congressional Delegation and its Governor are calling for a REDUCTION in protections for right whales in US waters. Keep in mind that what they are now opposing was developed and agreed to by representatives of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association and Maine’s Department…
Read MoreAre France and Spain looking to weaken protection for whales and dolphins?
As EU governments continue to negotiate the terms of the Technical Measures under the European Common Fisheries Policy, it is emerging that French and Spanish Ministers seem set to choose fishing interests over the legal protection of dolphins, and other protected marine life, from entanglement in fishing gear in European waters. Entanglement in fishing nets and gear…
Read MoreWhat we must do to protect UK dolphins, porpoises and whales from fishing gear after Brexit
How the UK manages fishing in its waters after we leave the EU is outlined in the new Fisheries Bill. This legislation is working its way through the House of Commons and had its second reading last week. You may have been one of the 75,535 people who joined our campaign asking for a new…
Read MoreUrgent step change needed to stop dolphins suffering in fishing nets
Does sustainably caught fish mean no harm has come to dolphins? The quick answer to that question is ‘no’. If you buy fish with a ‘sustainably caught’ or ‘dolphin safe’ eco-label, unless caught with a pole and line, you have no way of knowing whether dolphins, porpoises or whales suffered and died in the process…
Read MoreCalifornia passes legislation to end use of harmful driftnets in fishery
A bill to phase out the use of drift gillnets (driftnets) off the California coast passed the California state legislature and was signed into law on September 27! The new law implements a buyback program for driftnet permits and helps the fishery transition to more sustainable methods, including deep-set buoy gear, a system specifically designed…
Read MoreNew Zealand High Court reverses plan to mine in endangered dolphin habitat
Following public outcry and representation from environmental groups, including WDC, the Wellington High Court in New Zealand has reversed a previous decision by the country’s Environmental Protection Authority allowing up to 50 million tonnes of iron sand to be mined from a 66sq km area off the South Taranaki Bight for a 35 year period. The…
Read MoreWDC joins new project helping to prevent whale and dolphin entanglement in fishing gear
WDC has joined up with other organisations to help with a new research project looking into the problem of marine mammal entanglement in fishing gear in Scottish waters, which has just been launched. The first of its kind in Europe, the Scottish Entanglement Alliance (SEA) brings together fishing industry representatives, researchers and conservation and welfare charities to assess…
Read MoreTeaming up with Fishtek to reduce dolphin deaths in fishing gear
Entanglement in fishing gear (bycatch) is the biggest global threat to dolphins, porpoises and whales. Not only is it the cause of hundreds of thousands of deaths every year, it is an awful way to die. The frustrating thing is, with a joined-up, concerted effort, we could so easily save lives. Our colleagues at Fishtek…
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