Bycatch News
In recent years, whale entanglements have grown in number in the southern portion of the Dungeness crab fishery, and earlier in the season. The Government of California plans to implement closures as a way to mitigate the problem.
See: https://wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Ocean/Regulations/Inseason
Sharks among the most endangered groups of animals from bycatch. A new study examined the impacts of retention bans on shark populations. It concluded that in some cases they can be beneficial, but avoiding bycatch in the first place is of paramount importance such as making modifications to fishing gear and practices.
Article: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/faf.12892
A journalist summarizes the status of legislation in Europe and North America intended to reduce bycatch.
See: https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/07/us/harriet-tubman-underground-railroad-national-parks-service/index.html
Mexican authorities physically removed gillnets used in the illegal fishery for critically endangered totoaba. These nets are also responsible for causing the bycatch of the critically endangered vaquita porpoise, of which only an estimated 10 individuals remain.
See https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/environment-sustainability/mexico-law-enforcement-remove-illegal-gillnets-rescue-surviving-totoaba?utm_source=marketo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter&utm_content=newsletter&mkt_tok=NzU2LUZXSi0wNjEAAAGZlqd24s_tjC32w0yoGEFGQ9c8osaDC-uQWeeHoc7R2rQ4_TkKb5NArexd5YspznuTJc4hRwxFUswfOdOWkDeHxeN9nm3wzQ7TISGztLXL2qYb_lYqMw
China, the country with the world's greatest number of consumers idwntifies promise of seafood certification. Information from their report : https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/supply-trade/chinese-consumer-preferences-report-shows-opportunity-for-certification-schemes-to-make-inroads?utm_source=marketo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter&utm_content=newsletter&mkt_tok=NzU2LUZXSi0wNjEAAAGZdiEEGYQBHrJ03v0GqqWDCYsKwsM8VcoFPWeKKr7zYDO6qhGa-Xxxm0SLdRr2Q_vBgYvOzx4h0MmgRFOSQOvtlDRI2n64HKFd8PuJBaB1iKslV_GItQ
The European Cetacean Society has released the proceedings of a workshop entitled: "Use of pathology to better inform the welfare impact assessment of bycatch and entanglements". Click on this link to read and download the report: https://www.europeancetaceansociety.eu/63
Several environmental groups are calling for the use of bycatch reduction devices to reduce diamondback terrapin bycatch in Virginia crab pot fisheries.
Here is the Press Release: https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/virginia-petition-seeks-to-protect-diamondback-terrapins-from-drowning-in-crab-traps-2025-02-12/
A one month cessation of fishing, including the provision of 80% ib lost revenues to fishermen, resulted in keeping the industry alive while reducing thousands of dolphin deaths.
See this press coverage of the story: https://www.thecooldown.com/outdoors/dolphin-bycatch-ban-france-fishing/
We are sad to belatedly report on the death of one of the founding members of the Consortium for Wildlife Bycatch Reduction: Professor Kenneth Baldwin of the University of New Hampshire.
For information and application instructins please see: https://efzu.fa.em2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_1/job/4647/?lastSelectedFacet=ORGANIZATIONS&location=Denmark&locationId=300000000228648&locationLevel=country&mode=job-location&selectedOrganizationsFacet=300000003718263