Intensive trawling during the winter and spring months coincides with relatively high levels of cetacean strandings
The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) and Greenpeace have released the results from the 2004-2005 winter surveys of cetaceans and pelagic (mid-water) trawls in the western approaches of the English Channel.
These surveys were conducted on MY Esperanza using standard scientific techniques to establish how many cetaceans use the survey area during the January to March months when strandings of dead dolphins and porpoises peak on the Cornish coast. Many of these animals are clearly the victims of bycatch in fishing nets, so the survey team also monitored interactions between cetaceans and fishing fleets in the area.
The post-mortems of the dead common dolphins retrieved at sea revealed that all the animals had died as a result of bycatch in fishing gear
The surveys recorded a high number of common dolphins, reaffirming the importance of the western Channel as a winter habitat for this species. The results also highlight the threat to these animals from the high levels of bycatch recorded in the bass pelagic trawl fishery and additionally from gillnet and tanglenet fisheries in the area. The post-mortems of the dead common dolphins retrieved at sea revealed that all the animals had died as a result of bycatch in fishing gear.
A total of 755 sightings of approximately 4,997 animals were made during the expeditions. The surveys revealed a high relative abundance of cetaceans (17.6 sightings per 100km) in the surveyed area, particularly short-beaked common dolphins. Six other species were also identified: harbour porpoises; bottlenose dolphins; Risso's dolphins; striped dolphins; fin whales and minke whales.
Download the summary report here (Adobe PDF format).
The full report is available from www.wdcs.org
