REVIEW of METHODS USED to REDUCE RISKS of CETACEAN BYCATCH and ENTANGLEMENTS N CMS Technical Series Publication No
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REVIEW OF METHODS USED TO REDUCE RISKS OF CETACEAN BYCATCH AND ENTANGLEMENTS N CMS Technical Series Publication No. 38 W E Published by the Secretariat of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals Recommended Russell Leaper and Susannah Calderan (2018). Review of methods used to reduce risks of citation: cetacean bycatch and entanglements. UNEP/CMS Secretariat, Bonn, Germany. 76 pages. CMS Technical Series No. 38 Prepared by: UNEP/CMS Secretariat Editors: Aimée Leslie WWF & Leigh Henry WWF-US Authors: Russell Leaper1 Susannah Calderan2 1 University of Aberdeen, School of Biological Sciences, Tillydrone Ave, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ [email protected] 2 Canal House, Banavie, Fort William, PH33 7LY [email protected] Coordination: Heidrun Frisch-Nwakanma Front Cover © Chris Johnson Photograph: Back Cover © Chris Johnson Photograph: Cover Design: Karina Waedt, www.karinadesign.de Inside Design and Agenda28 www.agenda28.com Layout: © 2018 UNEP/CMS & WWF. This publication, except the cover photograph, may be reproduced in whole or in part and in any form for educational and other non-profit purposes without special permission from the copyright holder, provided acknowledgement of the source is made. The UNEP/CMS Secretariat would appreciate receiving a copy of any publication that uses this publication as a source. No use of this publication may be made for resale or for any other commercial purposes whatsoever without prior permission from the United Nations Environmental Programme. Disclaimer: The contents of this volume do not necessarily reflect the views of UNEP/CMS or contributory organisations. The designations employed and the presentation do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNEP/CMS or contributory organisations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area in its authority, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Copies of this publication are available from the UNEP/CMS Secretariat website: http://www. cms.int UNEP/CMS Secretariat UN Campus Platz der Vereinten Nationen 1 D-53111 Bonn, Germany Tel.: (+49 228) 815 24 01/02 Fax: (+49 228) 815 24 49 E-mail: [email protected] www.cms.int ISBN: 978-3-937429-26-7 Review of methods used to reduce risks 3 WWF | CMS of cetacean bycatch and entanglements ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This review was funded by WWF. An earlier review of methods for reducing large whale entanglement on which some of this material was based was funded by Humane Society International. It is a pleasure to acknowledge the following reviewers who greatly improved earlier drafts of this review: Sarah Dolman, Aimée Leslie, Stephan Lutter, Gianna Minton, Vassili Papastavrou, Somany Phay, Randy Reeves, Fabian Ritter, Gerry Ryan, Meike Schei- dat, Umair Shahid, Mark Simmonds. spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris ) New Britain, Papua New Guinea. © Jürgen Freund / WWF © JürgenFreund Review of methods used to reduce risks 5 WWF | CMS of cetacean bycatch and entanglements Bycatch is the ‘biggest threat to marine mammals worldwide... killing hundreds of thousands of them each year’ (U S Commission on Ocean Policy 2004, Read et al. 2006). Review of methods used to reduce risks WWF | CMS of cetacean bycatch and entanglements CONTENTS ABSTRACT 01 1. 2. INTRODUCTION 03 MEASURES TO REDUCE RISK OF CONTACT 11 1.1 International agreements and efforts on mitigation 04 2.1 Reduce fishing effort 11 1.2 Terminology 05 2.2 Closed areas/fishing bans 12 1.3 Evaluation of the effectiveness of 2.2.1 High Seas and European Union mitigation 06 (EU) Driftnet bans 12 1.4 Mitigation strategies and 2.2.2 harbor porpoise Take stakeholder involvement 08 Reduction Plan, Northeast US 14 1.5 Categories of mitigation methods 09 2.2.3 bottlenose dolphin Take Reduction Plan, western North Atlantic 16 2.2.4 false killer whale Take Reduction Plan, Hawaii 17 2.2.5 Dolphin Protection and Management Zones, Mekong (irrawaddy dolphin) 18 2.2.6 Fishing restrictions, Gulf of California (vaquita) 20 2.2.7 Area fishing restrictions, New Zealand (hector’s dolphin) 22 2.2.8 Gillnet restrictions, South America (franciscana) 24 2.2.9 Time-area closures, US and Australia (large whales) 25 Review of methods used to reduce risks WWF | CMS of cetacean bycatch and entanglements 2. 3. MEASURES TO REDUCE MEASURES TO REDUCE RISK OF CONTACT RISK OF SERIOUS 2.3 Pingers/Acoustic alarms 26 OR FATAL INJURY IF ENTANGLEMENT DOES 2.3.1 General limitations of pingers 30 OCCUR 43 2.4 Gear modifications/alternative 3.1 Release programmes/training 43 gear 31 3.1.1 Pound nets (harbour porpoise) 44 2.4.1 Light trawls to replace gillnets 31 3.1.2 Herring weirs (harbour 2.4.2 Cod pots to replace gillnets 32 porpoise) 45 2.4.3 Stiffened and acoustically 3.1.3 Tuna gillnets (dolphin species) 46 reflective gillnets 32 3.1.4 Longlines (false killer whales) 47 2.4.4 Exclusion grids on trawls 33 3.1.5 Purse seines (dolphin species) 48 2.4.5 Excluding devices on stownets 34 3.1.6 Large whale disentanglement 50 2.4.6 Longline modifications 34 3.2 Weak links and line strength 51 2.4.7 Gear modifications to creel/ pot/trap fisheries to reduce risk of contact with large whales 36 2.4.7.1 Reducing vertical line 38 4. 2.4.7.2 Sinking ground line 39 DISCUSSION 53 2.5 Reducing gear loss 40 2.6 Addressing issues of wet 5. storage/setting gear to preserve use of an area 41 REFERENCES 57 Review of methods used to reduce risks WWF | CMS of cetacean bycatch and entanglements Mr Sor Chamraon, a river guard on the Mekong river, shows a recently confiscated illegal net, Kampi, Kratie, Cambodia. a river guard on the Mekong river, shows recently confiscated illegal net, Kampi, Kratie, Mr Sor Chamraon, © Thomas Cristofoletti / WWF-UK Review of methods used to reduce risks 01 WWF | CMS of cetacean bycatch and entanglements ABSTRACT Fisheries bycatch is considered to be the ses on specific technical measures but the- greatest threat to cetaceans globally. From se need to be considered as part of overall coastal artisanal fisheries to deep-sea in- strategies involving all stakeholders. There dustrial operations, incidental capture of are rather few examples of implemented mi- whales, dolphins and porpoises in a range of tigation measures substantially reducing ce- fishing gear has resulted in serious welfare tacean bycatch. Enforcement and complian- and conservation issues for many cetacean ce are key to the success of any measures, species, sometimes to the point of regional and the lack thereof has been the cause extinction. Whilst there has been concern of many mitigation programmes’ failure to about bycatch for several decades and at- meet their objectives. Generally, mitigating tempts to find solutions, progress has been cetacean bycatch has not been viewed as in- limited. Through the use of case studies, this trinsic to successful fisheries management, report summarises the mitigation methods but rather as a separate management issue. that have been undertaken with the objecti- However, where reductions in bycatch have ve of reducing cetacean bycatch, and asses- occurred, a feature of these situations has ses their efficacy and future potential. These often been that a systemic change in the include methods for reducing risk of contact fishery itself has resulted in reduced ceta- between cetaceans and fishing gear, such as cean bycatch, rather than the success of any effort reduction, fishing bans and gear mo- mitigation measures specifically imposed difications, together with methods for redu- for cetaceans. Given the pressing need for cing harm should entanglement occur. This improvements in fisheries management glo- review is intended to support initiatives to bally, reduction of cetacean bycatch should address cetacean bycatch, including those be seen as a key part of such initiatives. The by CMS, its associated regional agreements, most generally effective mitigation of ceta- ASCOBANS and ACCOBAMS, and the IWC, cean bycatch and entanglement is reduction by providing a summary of the current state in effort, starting with those fisheries that of mitigation techniques. The review focus- have the largest bycatch. Review of methods used to reduce risks WWF | CMS of cetacean bycatch and entanglements ) in West Papua, Indonesia ) in West Papua, Tursiops aduncus Tursiops Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin ( Indo-Pacific © Jürgen Freund / WWF Review of methods used to reduce risks 03 WWF | CMS of cetacean bycatch and entanglements 1. INTRODUCTION Cetacean bycatch is characterised globally Large whales can become entangled in nets by a deficiency of data on fisheries effort, or just about any form of line in the water. abundance estimates and bycatch morta- This includes many types of fishing gear lity, and it is often not possible to assess but also some aquaculture and mooring li- the impact of bycatch-related mortality on nes. Large whale entanglements are rarely cetacean populations. However, wherever observed directly and entanglement events studies are conducted, large numbers of are considerably underreported for most po- small cetaceans are found to be affected by pulations and regions (IWC 2010). Neverthe- bycatch (Young and Iudicello 2007). Accor- less entanglement is known to be the major ding to the U.S. Ocean Commission, bycatch source of mortality for several populations is the ‘biggest threat to marine mammals (Thomas et al. 2016). worldwide . .[killing] hundreds of thousands Cetacean bycatch increased dramatically of them each year’ (U S Commission on with the proliferation of monofilament gill- Ocean Policy 2004, Read et al. 2006). 82% of nets in the late 1960s (e.g. Slooten (2013)). odontocete species have been recorded as Waugh et al. (2011) highlight how in the last bycatch since 1990; 75% have been caught two decades, the increasing use of outboard in gillnets (Reeves et al.