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Blue whale at surface

Creating a safe haven for whales and dolphins in the Southern Ocean

Emma Eastcott Emma is WDC's head of safe seas. She helps ensure whales and dolphins...
Humpback whale © Christopher Swann

Migration Patterns of Humpback Whales

Kidzone - quick links Fun Facts Curious kids Blogs Fantastic fundraisers Gallery Splish and Splash...
We're at COP28 to Save the Whale, Save the World.

We’re at COP28 to save the whale, save the world

Ed Goodall Ed is WDC's head of intergovernmental engagement. He meets with world leaders to...
Gray whales from drone.

We’re taking steps to uncover the mysteries of whales

Vicki James Vicki is WDC's protected areas coordinator, she helps to create safe ocean spaces...
All policy news
  • All policy news
  • Create healthy seas
  • End captivity
  • Prevent deaths in nets
  • Stop whaling
  • Strandings
Sperm whale © Douglas Hoffman

Featured policy news item

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nunc magna elit, gravida at lectus vitae,...
sea_world_orlando_rob_lott

Holiday giant Thomas Cook stops selling tickets to Seaworld and Loro Parque

Holiday giant Thomas Cook stops selling tickets to Seaworld and Loro Parque Following a three...

Endangered Southern Resident orca loses newborn calf

In heartbreaking news from the Pacific Northwest, the Center for Whale Research has reported that...
srkw_shoup_2003_text

U.S. Defense Bill weakens protections for whales

24 July 2018, Plymouth, MA: The FY2019 National Defense Authorization Act conference report was released...
All articles
  • All articles
  • About whales & dolphins
  • Create healthy seas
  • End captivity
  • Fundraising
  • Green Whale
  • Kids blogs
  • Prevent deaths in nets
  • Scottish Dolphin Centre
  • Stop whaling
Blue whale at surface

Creating a safe haven for whales and dolphins in the Southern Ocean

Emma Eastcott Emma is WDC's head of safe seas. She helps ensure whales and dolphins...
Humpback whale © Christopher Swann

Migration Patterns of Humpback Whales

Kidzone - quick links Fun Facts Curious kids Blogs Fantastic fundraisers Gallery Splish and Splash...
We're at COP28 to Save the Whale, Save the World.

We’re at COP28 to save the whale, save the world

Ed Goodall Ed is WDC's head of intergovernmental engagement. He meets with world leaders to...
Gray whales from drone.

We’re taking steps to uncover the mysteries of whales

Vicki James Vicki is WDC's protected areas coordinator, she helps to create safe ocean spaces...
All policy news
  • All policy news
  • Create healthy seas
  • End captivity
  • Prevent deaths in nets
  • Stop whaling
  • Strandings
Sperm whale © Douglas Hoffman

Featured policy news item

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nunc magna elit, gravida at lectus vitae,...
sea_world_orlando_rob_lott

Holiday giant Thomas Cook stops selling tickets to Seaworld and Loro Parque

Holiday giant Thomas Cook stops selling tickets to Seaworld and Loro Parque Following a three...

Endangered Southern Resident orca loses newborn calf

In heartbreaking news from the Pacific Northwest, the Center for Whale Research has reported that...
srkw_shoup_2003_text

U.S. Defense Bill weakens protections for whales

24 July 2018, Plymouth, MA: The FY2019 National Defense Authorization Act conference report was released...

What we must do to protect UK dolphins, porpoises and whales from fishing gear after Brexit

How the UK manages fishing in its waters after we leave the EU is outlined in the new Fisheries Bill. This legislation is working its way through the House of Commons and had its second reading last week. You may have been one of the 75,535 people who joined our campaign asking for a new law to include strong measures to stop dolphins, porpoises and whales dying in fishing nets (as ‘bycatch’) in UK seas – dolphin bycatch even got a mention when the Bill was being discussed in parliament.

This week, WDC submitted a response – focussed on bycatch – to the parliamentary committee that is reviewing the content of the Bill. 

The Fisheries Bill includes an important framework for managing bycatch, but it needs to be improved. It’s all very well having a top-level framework, but to actually stop dolphins, porpoises and whales dying a horrible death in fishing gear in our seas we’re going to need strong secondary legislation. This will contain the details and practical measures that will enable the law to be operational and enforced. That’s the message WDC provided in our response. 

When we presented our petition to Fisheries Minister, George Eustice last year, he stated his ambition to be a world-leader in tackling whale and dolphin bycatch, and internationally the UK government has a good track record in this regard. The UK is also streets ahead of many other countries in its consideration of whale and dolphin welfare in decision making and has shown leadership in efforts to reduce bycatch through various international conventions, including the International Whaling Commission (the body that regulates whaling). 

Here in the UK, approximately 1,500 harbour porpoises and hundreds of dolphins and seals, as well as whales, seabirds and sharks, still die in fishing gear deployed by the UK fleet every year. An unknown number (but likely as many) die in gear of non-UK fleets fishing in UK waters, as well as in UK nets in European waters. Also, worrying numbers of humpbacks and minke whales become entangled in static creel lines, mainly in Scotland. High levels of bycatch (including these entanglements) have continued for decades in some regions, including in the Celtic and Irish Sea, North Sea, English Channel and Scottish waters. Each individual dolphin, porpoise or whale who dies in a net suffers enormously and some populations may even be declining because of bycatch. The good news is that we can change this. The Fisheries Bill, and the secondary legislation I talked about earlier, provides us with that chance.

If the UK genuinely wants to be a world-leader in tackling dolphin, porpoise and whale bycatch, we need to improve the framework in the Fisheries Bill and put secondary legislation in place to implement it. With your support, we’re working with political and legal experts to make sure this happens and that the UK laws we have after Brexit are actually strong enough to stop the suffering and save lives.

If you would like to make a donation to help us with this important work, we promise to put it to good use straight away.