Bycatch Impacting 79% of Marine Mammals

The Red List of Threatened Species looks at 5,487 mammal species, and says populations of more than half of are falling due loss of habitat, hunting and various other factors. In the seas, most fisheries are unselective to some degree, in that they incidentally catch other species along with their target catch during the process of fishing. This non-target catch is known as "bycatch", and in the report emerges as the biggest factor behind current declines in marine mammals, affecting a staggering 79% of these species.

The assessment warns that lack of data about marine mammals may be masking a bigger decline. "Whales, dolphins, porpoises, and sirenians (manatees and dugong) are so difficult to survey that declines that should result in a Vulnerable listing would go undetected at least 70% of the time," the authors write.

The decline of marine mammals due to this phenomenon is tragic, and unfortunately bycatch is not limited to these species alone - every year, millions of tons of fish are accidentally caught and discarded, along with thousands of turtles and seabirds. A staggering 100 million sharks are considered such bycatch each year.

Bycatch not only affects marine ecosystems but also millions of some of the poorest people on earth, who rely on healthy fish stocks for food and employment. Recent EJF investigations in Sierra Leone have revealed that the impacts of bycatch by foreign pirate fishing trawlers have become so significant that many people are being forced to abandon fishing and their communities altogether.

EJF campaigns internationally for a reduction of bycatch in international fisheries. To learn more CLICK HERE