STRANDINGS of harbour porpoises and dolphins in the South West have
shown a steep decline this year. The bycatch of dolphins in the UK
pair trawl fishery for bass in the Western Channel have also shown a
significant decrease in the most recent fishing season.
A Defra funded co-ordinated investigation carried out by The Natural
History Museum, the Institute of Zoology and The Scottish
Agricultural College for recording incidents of stranded cetaceans
around the British Isles has shown a significant decrease in the
number of stranded dolphins and harbour porpoises washed up on South
West beaches. Alongside this reduction in strandings, initial results from
Defra-funded research by the Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU) have
shown a significant decrease in the number of dolphins incidentally
captured in fishing operations in the UK pair trawl fishery for bass
in the South West. During the 2004/05 season, a preliminary analysis
by SMRU suggests that there was a total mortality of 142 common
dolphins in the UK pair trawl fishery for bass, compared with 429 in
2003/04 and 114 in 2002/03.www.fishupdate.com is published by Special Publications. Special Publications also publish European Fish Trader, Fishing Monthly, Fish Farming Today, Fish Farmer, the Fish Industry Yearbook, the Scottish Seafood Processors Federation Diary, the Fish Farmer Handbook and a range of wallplanners.
Should people be 'stimulated' to eat white fish alternatives to cod?
