Many research institutions, NGOs, inter-governmental organisations and Governments around the world are doing important work to reduce bycatch.

Some focus on the incidental capture of endangered/vulnerable species, others address the food security issues linked to high bycatch levels in the developing world. Others still work to mitigate the impacts of bycatch on the commercial fishing industry.

However, EJF feels there is much value in taking an integrated approach to bycatch reduction, rather than relying on a piecemeal focus on specific fisheries or specific bycatch species. An International Plan of Action, under the auspices of the United Nations FAO, would not replace or compete with current bycatch reduction schemes, rather it would help to support them and extend their scope and success. Lessons learnt in one context can be applied to another. Effective bycatch reduction technology and techniques can be transferred between countries and regions. More crucially, an overarching approach would help avoid the substitution of one bycatch problem with another, as fishing gears/methods are introduced in new areas. Finally, an IPOA could help push forward research on bycatch reduction, giving this field the injection of innovation it urgently needs.

• Regulatory bans - For example, spatial and/or temporal closures of fisheries (assuming level of effort does not increase outside/after closures).


• Regulatory limits - For example, setting quotas.


• Trade-related measures - For example, the United States' decision to only import shrimp caught by trawlers fitted with Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs).


• Changes in consumer behaviour - For example, the establishment of eco-labelling schemes.


• Gear changes - For example, the use of passive fishing gears, where appropriate.


• Technological changes - For example, the use of Bycatch Reduction Devices (BRDs) in trawl fisheries.


• Operational changes - For example, avoiding areas where bycatch tends to be high.


• Training - For example, in the application of the "backdown procedure" in tuna purse-seine fisheries to release dolphins from nets.


• Management actions - For example, setting bycatch limits for individual vessels and rewarding fishermen who succeed in reducing bycatch.

For more on specific measures to reduce bycatch, see EJF's report: Squandering the Seas.

As part of EJF's campaign for bycatch reduction, we have obtained widespread support for a UN FAO International Plan of Action (IPOA) on Bycatch Reduction. Our petition has been signed by over 150 members of the scientific community, NGOs working on environmental and developmental issues, as well as several Members of the European Parliament. See the list of signers.

Dr. Martha Holmes is a marine biologist and producer of the internationally acclaimed BBC series, Blue Planet. She has worked for the BBC natural history unit for over 15 years and has been fascinated by the underwater realm since childhood. Dr. Holmes endorses greater efforts to reduce bycatch and its impacts on the marine environment.

Osha Gray Davidson has written two captivating books on the marine world, the first on coral reefs, the second on sea turtles. A Pulitzer Prize nominee, Osha has helped to raise interest in marine issues, and has brought the oceans to life for his readers. Osha supports EJF's campaign for an IPOA on Bycatch Reduction.

Doug Perrine is one of the world's foremost marine wildlife photographers. He has won a number of awards, including the prestigious BBC/British Gas Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition in the animal behaviour category. He is also the author of five books on marine life.

Doug says: "The bycatch in shrimp trawls often includes juveniles of commercially valuable fish, such as snappers and groupers. By some estimates, the economic damage to these other fisheries is far greater than the value of the shrimp catch. Trawl fisheries also catch large numbers of animals that may have no economic value as fisheries species, but have a high ecological value due to their role in keeping the ecosystem functioning properly. More importantly, bottom trawling does long-term damage to the seafloor habitat. It's equivalent to hunting deer by burning down the forest and trapping the deer (along with all other wildlife) as they run out. Taking the large view, as a society, it makes no sense to allow destruction of our natural resources in this way."