The Australian sea lion population decreased due to harvests in the 17th and 18th centuries and traditional subsistence hunting by aborigines (Goldsworhty & Gales 2008). Isolated reports of deliberate killings have persisted into the 21st century as well (DEWHA 2010). Although the species is now protected by Australian law throughout its range, recovery towards pre-sealing […]
June 2018
International Marine Mammal – Gillnet Bycatch Mitigation Workshop | Consortium for Wildlife Bycatch Reduction
Fisheries bycatch is the principal threat to many marine mammals. In some cases, bycatch reduction devices have been shown to mitigate the bycatch of non-target species, but the scale of the problem outpaces progress in finding solutions. In particular, bycatch in coastal gillnet fisheries is one of the most immediate threats facing many marine mammal […]
Vaquita | Consortium for Wildlife Bycatch Reduction
Gillnet fisheries pose the greatest threat to the vaquita population. Current bycatch estimates are unavailable, but in the early 1990s an estimated 39 to 84 individuals were caught by fishermen from one town (D’Agrosa et al 2000). In 2014, CIRVA reported that probably only 100 individuals remain of this species, and the population was projected to […]