It’s not just fish that suffer either…….
By-catch is the incidental capture of non target species such as mammals,
birds, turtles, fish and other marine animals. It is recognized as
a major problem in many parts of the world and estimated that 23% of
global fisheries’ catch is thrown back into the sea dead and
wasted(3).
Cetaceans
(Whales, Dolphins And Porpoises)
The relationship between pelagic trawl fisheries and cetaceans in the
English Channel (survey data) showed that the winter population of
dolphins could well become depleted as a result of by-catch. Pelagic
trawling catches fish that live in the open sea, away from the bottom.
More studies of by-catch assessment are urgently needed(11). Out at
sea, an estimated 300,000 whales, dolphins and porpoises die in fishing
nets every year(12).
Seals/sealions
An estimated 3,500 seals are killed each year in Scotland alone because
fish farmers consider them a threat to farmed salmon6,13. There is
also an alleged practice of shooting sea-lions (in places such as Mexico
and California) looking for a captive lunch in the fishermen’s
nets(14).
Canadian Seal Hunt
The biggest slaughter of marine mammals happens in parts of Canada, where
over the past 4 years over 1.25 millions seals have been killed(15).
The killing was initially undertaken allegedly to protect fish stocks
and aid recovery of the Atlantic cod. Now the seals are killed solely
for their fur. It was commercial over-fishing which lead to the collapse
of the cod population in 1992. The harp seal population has been
blamed for its depletion when in fact they could help in the recovery
of Atlantic cod as they prey on its rival the Arctic Cod(16).
Fishermen
often accuse whales and seals of contributing to the decline of already
diminishing fish stocks. By using these creatures as scapegoats
for commercial over fishing, this reinforces the perceived need for their
culling by some individuals. A global study by Marine Biologist, Kristin
Kaschner (2004), showed that marine mammals and fishing fleets rarely
prey heavily on the same fish stocks(17,18).
Iceland,
after 17 years, has officially resumed commercial whaling. Their whale
watching industry contributed more to the national economy
than commercial whaling ever did. The Icelandic Fisheries Ministry issued
a permit to hunt 39 whales for commercial purposes. Nine of these are
endangered fin whales, which dismisses claims that the hunt is sustainable(19).
Birds
Long-line fishing practices kill approximately 100,000 albatrosses and
other sea birds each year. 17 of the 21 species of albatross now face
extinction(20). A new study by Wake Forest University Biologists has
shown that fishermen have caught and killed about 1% of the world’s
waved albatrosses in a year. These large, long-lived birds have slow
reproduction rates and are especially vulnerable to extinction(21).
(
italicised numbers in brackets indicate references) |
