Incidental Mortality of Cetaceans in Fisheries
April 2002
Sections:
Objective
The objective of this strategy is to eliminate unsustainable by-catches of cetaceans and, over the long term, ensure that cetacean populations are restored to, or maintained as, functional components of their ecosystems.
Origin
This document arose from a meeting of scientific experts convened in Annapolis , MD , January 2002, by WWF. The list of participants to this meeting is appended to this document.
Introduction
1. Incidental capture in fishing operations is the major threat to whales, dolphins and porpoises worldwide. Several species and many populations will be lost in the next few decades if nothing is done. Urgent national and international action is needed.
2. Incidental catches of cetaceans occur in many fisheries throughout the world, including gillnet, longline, purse seine and trawl gear, in fisheries that range from industrial to artisanal in nature. The nature and magnitude of these interactions varies regionally and with the species and fishing gear involved. Despite the global nature of this problem, awareness of this issue is generally low.
3. A coordinated, co-operative effort is required to address this global issue, although each problem will require a local solution. The special circumstances in developing countries must be recognised and appropriate assistance provided by scientists, NGOs, inter-governmental organizations and governments of the developed world. Direct involvement of the fishing industry is essential at all stages, from recognising the problem to developing solutions.
4. Attempts to address the problem of cetacean by-catches have been made by national governments and international organizations. The Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic and North Seas (ASCOBANS) has defined unacceptable levels of incidental mortality of small cetaceans in commercial fisheries. The Agreement for the International Dolphin Conservation Program for the eastern Pacific, signed by eleven countries, established a complex management system to reduce dolphin by-catches. The Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission has worked extensively to assess the magnitude of cetacean by-catches and review mitigation measures. The United States has developed a formal system of stock assessment and mitigation to address the incidental mortality of cetaceans and other marine mammals.
5. Considerable progress has been made in a few fisheries in the development, testing and implementation of measures designed to reduce the incidental mortality of cetaceans. In general, this information has not been widely disseminated outside the scientific or conservation communities. Despite such efforts in a few individual fisheries, however, progress in addressing the problem has been slow or non-existent throughout much of the developed and developing world.
6. In some areas of the world, cetaceans captured incidentally in commercial fisheries are used for human consumption, bait, or other purposes. In such cases, by-catches may evolve into directed harvests. This may increase the risk to cetacean populations if such directed harvests are not controlled by effective management.
