Even if they're not targeted directly, they're at risk of becoming '
bycatch' victims -- unintentionally swept up in the nets of the commercial fishing industry, just like dolphins, turtles, seals and other marine animals.
Interactions between seals and fishing gear include depredation of fish catches by seals and
bycatch of seals in fishing gear.
More than 20 environmental NGOs, led by Whale and Dolphin Conservation, ClientEarth and Seas At Risk, say the animals are not being sufficiently protected from
bycatch capture in fishing nets.
It is well established that incidental catch (
bycatch) in fisheries is one of the major threats for many populations of sharks, seabirds, marine turtles and marine mammals (e.g., Northridge & Hofman, 1999; Hall et al., 2000; Dulvy et al., 2008; Moore et al., 2010; Dmitrieva et al., 2013).
When fishermen throughout India pull up a trawl net, about 15-20 % of what they get is considered "
bycatch" -- less valuable species they weren't looking for, according to CMFRI principal scientist Shyam Salim, who has studied climate change and vulnerability in India's coastal communities.
The study was conducted by fitting vessels with GPS tracking units and automated cameras to document catch that lands on the deck, including
bycatch. The event was attended by H.E.
Bycatch is a classification of sea creature that was unintentionally caught during commercial fishing operations.
'Sharks in Crisis: Evidence of Positive Behavioral Change in China as New Threats Emerge' exposes worrying trends in the consumption of shark products outside of China, as well as the continued failure of the tuna industry to protect against shark
bycatch.
Excluding closures, the most common approach has been to locate
bycatch reduction devices (BRD) anterior to the trawl codend (Broadhurst, 2000).
Bycatch mortality is one of the most significant issues influencing marine fisheries management in the world (Davis 2002, Kennelly & Broadhurst 2002, Harrington et al.
Incidental entanglement in nets and gear - or "
bycatch" - is the biggest threat to the marine mammals, trapping them underwater where they cannot breathe, are badly injured trying to escape and suffocate if they cannot get free, campaigners said.
trituberculatus positively correlated with the fishing efforts of main catch vessels, but showed negative correlation with those of
bycatch vessels (trawl vessels).
