Caught in nets: WWF report identifies dolphins, porpoises most in need of urgent action
09 Jun 2005
A new WWF report has found nine dolphin and porpoise populations around the world need immediate action if they are to survive the threat of entanglement in fishing gear.
More than 300,000 dolphins, porpoises and whales are killed every year because they are getting tangled up in fishing gear. But the report has also stressed the populations under threat could recover if changes to fishing methods and other conservation efforts are made.
One of the dolphin species most affected is the rare Irrawaddy dolphin, which is only found in northern Australia and parts of Asia.
Bycatch - which is when unwanted fish and other species are caught up in fishing gear - has been revealed as one of the greatest global threats facing dolphins, porpoises, and whales. When dolphins and other species which breathe air get caught up in the nets, they often get trapped underwater and drown.
"Almost 1,000 whales, dolphins and porpoises die every day in nets and fishing gear. That's one every two minutes," says WWF Conservation Director Dr Ray Nias.
One particular type of fishing gear - gillnets - is doing the most damage. These nets are difficult for dolphins and porpoises to see or detect with their sonar, so they may become tangled in the netting or in the ropes attached to the nets.
So far only the United States has really started introducing modified fishing gear, which is able to reduce bycatch of dolphins, porpoises and whales to one-third of its previous levels. Unfortunately few of these successful measures have been transferred to other countries, and in much of the rest of the world, progress to reduce bycatch has been slow or nonexistent.
The WWF report will be submitted to the International Whaling Commission's scientific committee at its annual meeting next week in the Republic of Korea.
For further information
Virginia Dew, WWF Communications Officer
Phone: (02) 8202 1290
Email: vdew@wwf.org.au
Jacqueline McArthur, WWF Communications Manager - Media
Phone: (02) 9281 5515
Mobile: 0408 626 780
