Cetacean Bycatch and the International Whaling Commission

Entanglement in fishing gear has long been recognized by scientists and policy makers around the globe as the most pervasive human-induced threat to cetaceans, causing an estimated minimum of 300,000 cetacean deaths annually. Fisheries bycatch was a leading factor in the recent extinction of the Yangtze River dolphin in China, and is causing unsustainable levels of injury and mortality to Endangered North Atlantic right whales and Arabian Sea humpback whales 6, as well as the critically endangered vaquita in Mexico, Māui and Hector’s dolphins in New Zealand, Baltic harbour porpoises and various freshwater cetaceans throughout Asia and South America. Bycatch is often the leading cause of mortality in any cetacean population where habitat overlaps with fishing activity. 

While many studies point to a direct link between declining cetacean population numbers and interactions with fishing gear, much less has been done to determine how to prevent or mitigate cetacean bycatch. Regional and international management efforts have been inadequate to date. At the same time, many scientists and managers recognise that conservation of the most vulnerable cetacean populations will only be possible by finding ways to prevent and reduce bycatch. The International Whaling Commission, as the primary international body addressing cetacean conservation and management, is in a prime position to take the lead in a global effort to effectively reduce fisheries-related mortality and injury to whales and dolphins.