Select Committee on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Third Report


1 Introduction

1. Cetaceans are the order of marine mammals that is comprised of the separate species of whales, dolphins and porpoises. "By-catch" is the word used to describe the incidental capture of cetaceans (or other animals) during fishing activities. Worldwide, by-catch of small cetaceans—that is, dolphins and porpoises—is thought to be the most significant threat to the conservation of the species.

2. In UK waters, the species of cetacean predominantly affected by, and therefore threatened by, by-catch are the common dolphin, the bottlenose dolphin and the harbour porpoise. Evidence of total levels of by-catch and its impact on small cetacean populations is incomplete and therefore inconclusive. However, what evidence there is suggests that the impact of by-catch on the population levels of these small cetaceans may well be significant.

Recent initiatives

3. In 2003, both the UK Government and the European Commission put forward proposals intended to mitigate levels of small cetacean by-catch. In March 2003, Defra published a consultation paper on cetacean by-catch, UK small cetacean by-catch response strategy. The strategy reflects work undertaken by Defra in consultation with the devolved administrations and, if implemented, would apply to the whole of UK waters and also to UK fishing vessels operating outside these waters. Consultation on the strategy ended on 13 June 2003 and the Department has since published a summary of the responses received to the consultation.[1] In July 2003, the European Commission adopted a draft regulation intended to curb by-catch of small cetaceans.[2] This proposal is currently awaiting consideration by the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament; if adopted in its present form, the regulation would apply to all Community waters, although it would impact on only some fisheries within those waters.

Our inquiry

4. In July 2003, we decided to investigate by-catch of small cetaceans by the fishing industry operating off the UK coast. We were particularly interested in examining the scale and causes of by-catch, and the relevant research. We also set out to consider the likely effectiveness of the proposals in the Government's UK small cetacean by-catch response strategy, and what further steps should be taken either by the Government or by the European Union to address the problem. The European Commission published its draft regulation subsequent to our announcement of our terms of reference, and we have taken it into account in our consideration of our inquiry.

5. We appointed a Sub-committee, under the chairmanship of Candy Atherton MP, to carry out the inquiry. It received 16 written memoranda and took oral evidence from: Nick Tregenza, an academic from south-west England studying cetacean by-catch in that area; the Association of Sea Fisheries Committees; the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society and The Wildlife Trusts; the National Association of Fishermen's Organisations; Linda Hingley, a Devon resident who has set up an organisation, Brixham Seawatch, to record cetacean strandings on the south-west coast; and the Minister for Nature Conservation and Fisheries, Ben Bradshaw MP, together with Defra officials. We are grateful to all those who gave evidence or otherwise assisted our inquiry.


1   Available at www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/cetacean/index.htm Back

2   Proposal for a Council Regulation laying down measures concerning incidental catches of cetaceans in fisheries and amending Regulation (EC) No 88/98, 24 July 2003, 2003/0163 (CNS) Back


 
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