The Marine Connection was horrified to discover the Government plans to reduce funding for post-mortem examinations of cetaceans that wash up dead in the UK. The number has been reduced by half, with the government stating that enough have been post-mortemed to establish the percentage of bycatch already.

Many of the individuals washed ashore in the winter months never make it to post-mortem, despite their fresh condition, due to the veterinary laboratories working at maximum capacity already - the cause of death in these individuals is never known.

It is not only the analysis of cetacean bycatch which we risk losing through these financial cuts, but also valuable information such as disease, contaminant burdens, genetic status of populations and feeding ecology, through stomach content analysis. We also lose the possible unknown discovery - of a new disease, new bycatch as new fisheries develop - a change in population status.

Without post-mortem examination, we lose the irrefutable proof of bycatch. Evidence collected by volunteers on the beach needs to be backed up by a categorical "cause of death" - only then do we have the power to influence decision makers to take action in reducing bycatch. This new contract with limited funding will run for one year and in the meantime Defra will be deciding on the budget for the next 3 years. An announcement is due in the coming weeks of the revised contract and number of post-mortems to be conducted.

With reduced post-mortem analysis we are compromising our monitoring of the health and status of cetacean populations in the UK. We could miss:

• New trends, whether upward or downward in any cause of death which may be indicative of whole ecosystem damage.
• New spatial or temporal trends in cause of death, which can be of crucial importance in conservation management.
• New disease in UK waters, or that which is specific to cetaceans.
• The ability to monitor and react accordingly to contaminant burdens.
• Analysis of genetic status of either whole populations and/or subgroups.
• The unknown cause of death - yet to be discovered!

Marine Connection are campaigning to change this decision and get the funding of post-mortem examinations increased again, however to do this we need your help!

Please write to both your local MP and Defra (Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) outlining your concern over this decision.

You can download a sample letter which you can modify or alternatively write your own, using the information provided.