The worldwide decline in leatherback turtles has been caused, in part, by bycatch in fisheries. Leatherback turtles most often entangled or hooked externally in pelagic longline fisheries (Garrison 2003), but are capable of swimming to the surface to breathe (Witzell and Cramer 1995). Although not all incidental captures lead to mortality, the number of leatherbacks […]
Thorny skate | Consortium for Wildlife Bycatch Reduction
Data from the Northwest Atlantic suggests that the thorny skate began declining in the early 1980s and accelerated in the early 1990s (Burgess et al 2005). In US waters, dredging for scallops also poses a risk (Packer et al 2003). Additionally, a targeted fishery for the species emerged in Canada in order to meet a […]
The Secretariat of the International Whaling Commission is hiring for a Cetacean Bycatch Coordinator | Consortium for Wildlife Bycatch Reduction
CETACEAN BYCATCH MITIGATION COORDINATOR The IWC is seeking a Bycatch Coordinator to coordinate and implement the programme of work for the Bycatch Mitigation Initiative (BMI). The Coordinator will provide advice to the Commission, exchange information and liaise with other inter-governmental organisations, and support governments in addressing the complex issues and challenges relating to bycatch and […]
Franciscana | Consortium for Wildlife Bycatch Reduction
The main threat to the franciscana is bycatch in gillnet fisheries in its native coastal waters of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay. Mid-coastal Brazil south to mid-coastal Argentina View other Featured Species >>
Capacity Building in Small-Scale Fisheries | Consortium for Wildlife Bycatch Reduction
Final Ghana project report: 2023 Global Marine Mammal Bycatch Solutions Partners: Friends of the Nation, Partners: University of Cape Coast Final Report under the Global Solutions for Marine Mammal Bycatch project Partners: Oregon State University Final Report under the Global Solutions for Marine Mammal Bycatch project Partners: Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata – CONICET […]
Pilot Whales | Consortium for Wildlife Bycatch Reduction
Bycatch of pilot whales (short-finned) occurs in the pelagic longline fisheries targeting swordfish, tuna, and shark in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic. There are also records of pilot whales (long and short-finned) being taken in gillnet, trawl, and purse seine fisheries. “Whale-safe” hooks are being tested in the longline fishery that aim to reduce pilot whale bycatch by allowing […]
Corals, Sponges, and Other Benthic Invertebrates | Consortium for Wildlife Bycatch Reduction
Corals, Sponges, and Other Benthic Invertebrates Non-target benthic invertebrates are caught as bycatch in huge volumes, but precise numbers are not available. Bottom trawls, dredges, gillnets Variable, but largely unknown Wordwide, in suitable habitats View other Featured Species >>
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 […]
Fishing Gear Types | Consortium for Wildlife Bycatch Reduction
A dredge consists of a metal mesh bag held open by a frame. This type of gear is dragged along the seafloor to collect bottom-dwelling organism; shellfish are particularly targeted. Some dredges have teeth or rakes that penetrate the sediment and remove large infauna. Multiple dredges can be use simultaneously via a connecting beam system. […]
Field Experiments Show That Acoustic Pingers Reduce Marine Mammal Bycatch in the California Drift Gill Net Fishery | Consortium for Wildlife Bycatch Reduction
Pingers reduce bycatch of California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) and short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) in the California drift gillnet fishery for swordfish and sharks. Catch of target fish species (broadbill swordfish, common thresher shark, and shortfin mako shark) and non-target species were not affected by pinger use.
Simulation of the entanglement of a North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) with fixed fishing gear. | Consortium for Wildlife Bycatch Reduction
A computer model was produced to provide insight into how the Critically Endangered North Atlantic right whale (NARW) becomes entangled. It allows an anatomically accurate model of a NARW Population estimates of the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale to “swim” into fishing pot ropes, that incorporate realistic physical properties and can generate measures of […]
Archived Events | Consortium for Wildlife Bycatch Reduction
Canada DFO Gear Innovation Summit 2020 Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium researchers invited to present work on gear innovations at Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans’ Gear Innovation Summit. Ropeless Consortium Meeting
Glossary of Bycatch Reduction Techniques | Consortium for Wildlife Bycatch Reduction
Acoustic deterrent devices Underwater sound-emitting devices (maximum level of intensity equivalent to approximately 175 dB re 1 µPa @ 1m) attached to fishing gear, principally gillnets. ADD’s such as acoustic pingers are now mandated for use in some fisheries in the U.S. Northwest Atlantic, California driftnet, and in Europe. The sound of these devices is […]
Species List | Consortium for Wildlife Bycatch Reduction
Type Species Distribution Population Bycatch Threat IUCN Status Leatherback Turtle Reptile Dermochelys coriacea Circumglobal in tropical to sub-polar waters Decreasing Longlines, gillnets, trawls, pot/traps Critically Endangered Loggerhead Turtle Reptile Caretta caretta Circumglobal, in tropical and subtropical waters Unknown Longlines, gillnets, trawls, traps and pots, and dredges Globally Endangered Vaquita Mammal Phocoena sinus Northern Gulf of […]