Bycatch News Archive 2006

Sperm Whale and longline interaction
(Added:- 10 August 2006)
Last month a juvenile female sperm whale washed up at Port Waikato, New Zealand with some visible injuries inflicted from fishing gear. The animal's tail had been ensnared in heavy gauge monofilament long-line, indicating entanglement in a commercial long-line. The fishing gear had cut deeply into the surrounding tissue which indicates that the animal had been trailing gear for many months.
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Call to cut whale entanglements
(Added:- 19 June 2006)
The Australian government are being asked to try and prevent whales becoming entangled in fishing lines discarded by foreign boats off the Australian coast.
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Search begins again for tangled whale
(Added:- 8 June 2006)
A search is under way today, June 8, for a young humpback whale tangled in the lines of a crab pot. Tomie Lee, superintendent of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, said an aircraft was trying to find the whale so another attempt could be made to free it. Park staff on Tuesday made three attempts to cut the line to the crab pot but were unsuccessful. Rescuers instead attached two buoys and a sea anchor onto the tangled lines to slow down the whale and tire it out. The buoys also serve as markers. It was initially thought the lines were wrapped only around its tail with the crab pot still attached, that assessment changed when observers got closer. The National Marine Fisheries Services gave the approval for park's staff to untangle the whale. Another agency may take on the rescue effort, it all depends on where the whale is located.

Opportunities to Reduce Cetacean Bycatch in England
(Added:- 2 June 2006)
Marine Connection is calling for comprehensive legislation to achieve better protection for marine wildlife and effective management of our seas. This paper sets down what Marine Connection believes are the key elements that the Marine Bill must contain, in order to meet our existing European and international obligations regarding cetacean bycatch.
Read the full report here

Project to protect Hector's dolphins
(Added:- 5 May 2006)
The New Zealand Department of Conservation is planning a joint threat-management project with the Ministry of Fisheries in an effort to decrease the number of Hector's dolphins who die as a result of fishing. Of the nineteen reported Hector's dolphin deaths over the past eight months,eleven of those have been confirmed by pathology reports as being caused by fishing practices.
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Dead dolphins found on Black Sea coast
(Added:- 26 April 2006)
Twenty-five dead dolphins washed up on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast on April 21 and officials have said they probably drowned after becoming entangled in fishing nets.
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Whale guide - Russian translation soon available
(Added:- 11 April 2006)
A guide widely used by Alaska fishermen to help them avoid the world's most endangered whale will soon be available in Russian.
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UK dolphin deaths continue
(Added:- 19 March 2006)
Neil Parish, Conservative MEP for South West England, made a recent comment that stated Ben Bradshaw,UK's Fisheries Minister should stop "dragging his feet" and take drastic action to prevent more dolphin and porpoise deaths from fishing nets.
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Bay of Biscay Bycatch
(Added:- 27 Februar y 2006)
Between 18-21 February, 80 small cetaceans were found dead off the Atlantic coast around the Bay of Biscay. Strong winds brought the bodies in which included common dolphins. There is strong evidence of these animals being caught in pelagic fishing nets.

Gillnet ban
(Added:- 15 Februar y 2006)
After scientists determined that a young North Atlantic right whale died after becoming entangled in gillnet gear, the NOAA Fisheries Service will prohibit all gillnet fishing off Georgia and northeast Florida through to the end of the endangered mammal's calving season.
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Dolphin bycatch continues in UK waters
(Added :- 19 January 2006)
In only the last week, over 20 dolphins have washed up dead on the UK southwest's beaches. Initial post-mortem results of two of the dolphins indicate that these animals have died as a result of entanglement in fishing gear. It is estimated that only see 10% of the bodies washed ashore are seen.
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Dolphin death in Florida highlights bycatch concerns
(Added :- 19 January 2006)
A female bottlenose dolphin that was less than a year old died after being entangled in what is believed to be heavy-weight monofilament fishing line, Mote scientists said recently. The death highlights concerns about the number of dolphins dying each year from human-relateimpacts and offers a chance to remind Florida residents and visitors on the best ways to help protect the state's marine animals.
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