Fisheries bycatch

Baltic And North Seas

The serious threats facing whales, dolphins and porpoises of the North East Atlantic, including the Baltic and North Seas, is highlighted most dramatically by the decline of the harbour porpoise population in the Baltic Sea and the many dolphins entangled in fishing nets in the waters to the south of the UK. 

In the Baltic, the harbour porpoise is now critically endangered and facing extinction.  Sadly it is not alone in its plight.  Fisheries bycatch, noise and chemical pollution have all contributed to the destruction of important habitats in the North Sea.  This has had a detrimental effect on many species including bottlenose, common, striped and Risso’s dolphins, as well as harbour porpoises. 
 
Through our work with the international treaty known as ASCOBANS  (The Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic and North Seas), WDCS is helping to address these many threats.  We work with individual governments to raise awareness of the importance of this agreement, aiding its development to provide better protection for whales, dolphins and porpoises.

You can read the results of the investigation into pelagic pair trawls Cetaceans and Pelagic Trawl Fisheries in the Western Approaches of the English Channel

You can read WDCS's full report on bycatch in the north-east Atlantic A review of cetacean bycatch in pelagic trawls and other fisheries in the north-east