Fisheries in Faroese Waters and Potential Bycatch Risk of Marine Mammals

NAMMCO/SC/24/BYC/13

Not to be cited

NAMMCO Scientific Committee Working Group on Bycatch, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2-4 May 2017

Fisheries in Faroese waters and potential bycatch risk of marine mammals

Bjarni Mikkelsen, Museum of Natural History, Faroe Islands ([email protected]).

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Introduction Bycatch of marine mammals, and direct interactions between sea mammals and Man, has been given increased attentions in the last two decades. Economic recessions for fishermen due to gear and catch destructions, caused by seals and whales, was probably the initial motivating reason. Competition between marine mammals and Man for the same food resources has not been given same attention, perhaps because of a more theoretical approach. However, in recent years some effort has been made to estimate the economic loss for fishermen due to marine mammal predation upon a shared resource. Fishing activities affect ecosystems at many levels, and there are fisheries with high bycatch levels that may affect sustainable population levels of whale and seal species.

Not all fisheries have bycatch problems. Fisheries and fishing gears have been identified that seems to bycatch marine mammals more regularly, although this will vary by area, season and marine mammal behaviour. The bycatch problem seems to be largest in gillnet fisheries, especially in set nets in shallow waters, where coastal seals, porpoises and dolphin species regularly occurs. These animals are easily entangled in the gears and drown. Also driftnets, drop nets, purse seining and pelagic/midwater trawling for pelagic shoaling fish accidentally bycatch marine mammals. In the northeast Atlantic, the harbour porpoise and common dolphin have probably been the species mostly affected by bycatch.

The present working document provides a description of the logbook system, the various fisheries in Faroese waters, including the midwater and pelagic fisheries, fisheries regulations, fleet composition and fishing effort by fleet categories. Also, the occurrence of marine mammals in Faroese waters and bycatch potential in the Faroese fisheries is discussed.

Bycatch registrations Electronic logbooks, with on-line access and delivery (e-logbooks) to the Faroese Fisheries Inspection (www.vorn.fo), were introduced for the Faroese fleet larger than 15 GRT in the fishing year 2012/13, when also bycatch registration of marine mammals became mandatory. The bycatch registration occurs in a dedicated column in the logbook, where fishermen are prompted to set “null”, for no bycatch, before being able to close the registration form. The reliability of the bycatch reporting has not been evaluated. This is an important task for the near future, in order to secure that the reported numbers are reliable, and also for making potential changes and improvements of the reporting early in the process. Also, it is important to motivate fishermen to register bycatch. Information on the species of bycaught whales and seals is not given, because the option is not available in the e-logbook. The information can be added under comments. It is important to have the species information implemented in the system as soon as possible.

The bycatch that has been registered so far in the e-logbooks, are 6 whales in 2012/13, 2 whales in 2013/14 and 2014/15, respectively, and 9 whales in 2015/16. For some bycaught whales, the species has been given, and most frequently this has been pilot whales, but in a few incidents, killer whales have been registered. Almost all bycatches have occurred in the pelagic/midwater fisheries for mackerel.

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Regulations The Faroese fishery within the Faroese exclusive economic zone is regulated (since 1 June 1996) by individual transferable effort quotas in days within fleet groups (Table 1). The fishing year is running from 1 September to 31 August.

Table 1. Number of allocated and used fishing days for each fleet group in the fishing year 2015/16. Group Fleet ISSCFG Vessels (licenses) Allocated, inner ring Allocated, outer ring Effort, inner Effort, outer 2 Trawlers OTB / 03.12 36 4354,27 1523,3 3786,52 1272,56 3 Longliners >110 BRT LLS / 09.31 20 2148,22 0 1451,71 0 4A Longliners 15‐40 BRT LLS / 09.31 9 642,02 0 314,65 0 4B Longliners 40‐110 BRT LLS / 09.31 13 1125,59 0 698,59 0 4T Trawlers 40‐110 BRT OTB / 03.12 7 1180,84 0 918,56 0 5A Hooks and lines, boats <15 BRT LX / 09.9 23 2640 0 810 0 5B Hooks and lines, open boats LX / 09.9 557 7555 0 4421 0

The individual transferable effort quotas (number of fishing days) applies primarily to four main fleet categories (see Table 2). The single trawlers greater than 400 HP (Category 1) do not have effort limitations, but they are not allowed to fish within the 12 nautical mile limit, and are also, together with the pair trawlers, regulated by areas closures. Also, their catch of cod and haddock is limited by maximum by-catch allocation. The single trawlers less than 400 HP are given special licenses to fish inside 12 nautical miles with a by-catch allocation of 25% cod and 12% haddock (Table 2). In addition, they are obliged to use sorting grids in their trawls. One fishing day by longliners <110 GRT is considered equivalent to two fishing days for jiggers in the same gear category. Longliners <110 GRT could therefore double their numbers of days by converting to jigging.

Table 2. Percentage of cod, haddock, saithe and redfish of total catches allowed for each fleet category. Category Fleet Cod Haddock Saithe Redfish 2 Trawlers 25% 12% 82% 99% 3 Longliners >110 BRT 37% 45% 4 Jiggers and longliners >15 BRT, trawlers >40 BRT 17% 17,50% 11,50%0,50% 5 Jiggers and longliners <15 BRT 20% 23,50% 6% 6 Others 1% 2% 0,50% 0,50%

In Figure 1, the location of the inner and outer ring is demonstrated, the inner area being between inner and outer ring, while the outer area is outside the outer ring. In Table 1, the number of allocated fishing days for the inner and outer areas, by fleet groups, is provided. Holders of individual transferable effort quotas can fish for three days when outside the outer line, for each day allocated inside the line. Trawlers are generally not allowed to fish inside the 12 nautical mile limit. Inside the innermost thick line only longliners <110 GRT and jiggers <110 GRT are allowed to fish. The Faroe Bank shallower than 200 m is closed to trawling. The effort quotas are transferable within gear categories. The allocations of number of fishing days by fleet categories was made such that together with other regulations of the fishery they should result in average fishing mortalities on each of the 3 main stocks (cod, haddock, saithe) of 0.45, corresponding to average annual catches of 33% of the exploitable stocks by numbers. Built into the system is also an assumption that the day system is self-regulatory, because the mixed-species fishery will move between stocks according to the relative availability of each of them and no stock will be overexploited. In addition to the number of days allocated in the law, it is also stated in the law what percentage of total catches of cod, haddock, saithe and redfish, each fleet category on average is allowed to fish (Table 2).

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Figure 1. Closed areas, mainly between the inner and outer ring, by period.

Technical measures such as area closures during the spawning periods, to protect juveniles and young fish and mesh size regulations, are also in effect (see Figure 1).

Fisheries in Faroese waters The main fisheries in Faroese waters are mixed-species, demersal fisheries and single- species, pelagic fisheries. The demersal fisheries are mainly conducted by Faroese vessels, fishing primarily for cod, haddock and saithe. The pelagic/midwater fisheries, which targets blue whiting, herring and mackerel, are conducted by Faroese and foreign fishing vessels, licensed through bilateral and multilateral fisheries agreements. The Faroese fleets participating in the pelagic fisheries are primarily

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Fisheries in Faroese waters 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Cod 12851,2 12359,2 10819 9724,1 12506,5 11731,9 7287,7 5209,7 6529,3 7103,3 Haddock 15457,8 11291,9 6763,2 4474,1 4514,4 3195,5 2353,1 2624,6 2499,1 2660,7 Tusk 2386,9 2031,6 2556,6 2243,9 3323,7 2872,2 3232,2 1274,8 1522 1124,5 Ling 3430,7 3006,4 3341,4 3237 4518,4 4060,9 5010,7 3513,5 5065,6 3795,1 Blue ling 1690,2 1600,9 926,1 853,5 1413,4 1294,9 1062,7 540,7 799,8 578,6 Saithe 59884,2 54961,4 50966,0 52579,5 39713,5 26842,6 31968,8 23660,2 21391,0 22666,4 Greenland halibut 900,8 1586,8 2103,9 2311,9 1165,1 1738,1 2241,1 2739,9 2904,4 3007,1 Redfish 3464,5 3031,4 1455,1 1468,7 1650,5 913,7 677,8 786,1 591,2 785 Monkfish 4334,1 3401,7 1869 1779,5 2015,3 1901,2 1079,2 454,8 590,8 543,6 Greater silver smelt 12270 13437 19248,8 19740,3 19189,5 18711,7 12265,6 14195,7 12018,8 14093,9 Salmon 0000000000 Blue whiting 161939 145889,4 105167,8 24261,8 26964,1 14435 40594,4 83761 173810 231502 Norway pout 0 0 0 0 2,5 49,6 1751,2 586,1 1098,4 0 Herring 24559 10925 4256,7 4181,4 11891,3 56487,6 43005 110791,8 37448,5 37829 Horse mackerel 0 12,4 9,5 0 199,5 8,7 0,1 0 15,1 4,5 Mackerel 0 201,3 120,7 4990,7 66072,2 122047,4 107115,7 142735,1 95301 71148 Total 303168,4 263736,4 209603,8 131846,4 195139,9 266291 259645,3 392874 361585 396841,7 Landings (tonnes) of the main fisheries in Faroese waters – colours indicate fisheries with potential for bycatch of marine mammals (blue=gillnets, purple=high vertical opening trawl, green=pelagic trawl).

The development in the pelagic/midwater fisheries by the Faroese fleet.

Pelagic fisheries Three main pelagic fish species are fished in Faroese waters: blue whiting, herring and mackerel. Several nations participate. The Faroese pelagic fisheries are almost exclusively conducted by purse seiners and larger purse seiners also equipped for pelagic trawling. The pelagic fishery by Russian vessels is conducted by large factory trawlers, while other countries use purse seiners and factory trawlers, operating as pair trawlers.

Blue Whiting The major spawning areas for blue whiting are along the shelf break to the west of the British Isles, from south of Ireland in the south, to the Wyville-Thomson Ridge in the north. The spawning period is from late February to mid-April. Following spawning, the bulk of the spawning stock migrates north into the Norwegian Sea to feed. The migration route is, to a large extent, through Faroese waters on both sides of the Faroe Plateau, through the Faroe Bank Channel and the Faroe-Shetland Channel at a depth of approximately 300-400 m. During summer and autumn, the stock is widely distributed in the Norwegian Sea on the southern and eastern side of the Atlantic Front. The migration south to the spawning areas commences in late November/early December through the Faroe-Shetland Channel. Blue whiting eggs and larvae are pelagic and are carried to the north with the prevailing currents. The nursery areas are along the shelf break around the Faroe Plateau, west and north of Scotland, the Norwegian Deep and to the west of Norway. Blue whiting is fished with pelagic trawls. In Faroese waters, the largest catches are taken by Russian factory trawlers, which process the catches for human consumption. Their fisheries take place almost every month of the year. The main area fished is around

5 NAMMCO/SC/24/BYC/13 the southern tip of the Faroe Plateau. The catches by Norwegian, EU and Faroese vessels, which are almost exclusively reduced to fishmeal and oil, are taken from late April through May around the southern tip of the Faroe Plateau. The main fleet of Faroese vessels targeting blue whiting in 2015 was 11 vessels.

Blue whiting landings (ICES estimates) in 2015 by ICES rectangle.

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The distribution of the blue whiting fishery in 2015, by quarter.

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Fishery of blue whiting by Faroese vessels

Herring Three herring stocks, Atlanto Scandian Spring-Spawning herring (also called Norwegian Spring- Spawning herring); west of Scotland Autumn-Spawning herring; and local, Summer-Spawning herring are fished in Faroese waters. The Atlanto Scandian Spring-Spawning herring is by far the most important of these stocks. Almost extinct in the early seventies, the spawning stock has rebuilt to the same level as it was in the late fifties and early sixties. The stock spawns on the banks off western Norway in March. Subsequently (in the most recent years), the spawning stock migrates to the west and south into the southern and central parts of the Norwegian Sea to feed. In late April, May and June, a significant part of the stock is distributed in the northern parts of Faroese waters. In late summer and during autumn, the stock migrates to the north and finally into a few northern, Norwegian fjords for over-wintering (hibernating) prior to the southward migration to the spawning areas. In some years, the west of Scotland Autumn-Spawning stock has, during its feeding migration, reached the eastern parts of the Faroe Plateau. Catches of several thousand tonnes have been fished on the eastern and southern banks. In offshore Faroese waters, herring is almost exclusively fished by purse seine and the concentrations are found by sonar. The fishing vessels follow the shoals for long distances. The local, Summer-Spawning stock of herring is very small compared to the two other herring stocks and is almost exclusively distributed inshore. The fishery occurs in the fjords and sounds with the use of set gillnets.

Total reported landings (ICES estimates) of Norwegian spring-spawning herring in 2015 by ICES rectangle.

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The distribution of the herring fishery in 2014, by quarter.

Mackerel In order to feed, the western stock component of mackerel migrates to the north from the main spawning areas south of Ireland during May and June into the southern and central parts of the Norwegian Sea. The return migration takes place in the winter. During the feeding period, a significant part of the stock is also distributed and fished in Faroese waters. Mackerel are difficult to detect by echo sounding systems unless in large concentrations. The main migration pattern, therefore, is almost exclusively deduced from the fisheries. Historically, the annual distribution of the fisheries has varied to a very large extent. In later years, the fisheries for mackerel spread into new areas in the Norwegian Sea. Mackerel in Faroese waters have in recent years mainly been fished by pelagic trawlers operating in pairs. The main fishing season in Faroese waters is in the period July to September. Because of high money value, Faroese authorities have allocated small quotas to a high number of vessels, as a kind of subsidiary, and therefore 42 Faroese fishing vessels (operating as 21 vessel pairs) participated in the fishery in 2015.

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The distribution of the mackerel fishery in 2015, by quarter.

Fishery of mackerel by Faroese vessels

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Semi-pelagic fisheries The fishery for greater silver smelt (Argentina silus) in Faroese waters is a bottom/semi-pelagic fishery, performed with very-high vertical opening (VHVO) trawls. This fishery is regulated by quota and number of operating vessels (6 vessels). The fishery occurs in the summer months (April - September) at depths between 300 - 700 meters. The gear in use is trawl with high vertical opening, operating from bottom and high (100 m) up in the waters column, adapted to the behaviour of greater argentine, usually distributed well above the bottom.

Catches of greater silver smelt in Faroese waters

Fishing grounds of greater silver smelt.

Demersal fisheries The most important fish species in the demersal fisheries are cod, haddock and saithe. Although they are conducted by a variety of different vessels, the demersal fisheries can be grouped into fleets of vessels operating in a similar manner. Some vessels change between longlines, jigging and trawling, and they therefore can appear in different fleets. Fleet categories operating in the demersal fishery:

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Open boats. These vessels are below 5 GRT. They use longline and to some extent automatic, jigging engines and operates mainly on a day-to-day basis, targeting cod, haddock and to a lesser degree saithe. The large numbers of open boats participating in the fisheries (above 1400 licenses) are often operated by non-professional fishermen.

Smaller vessels using hook and line. This category includes all the smaller vessels, between 5 and 110 GRT operating mainly on a day-to-day basis, although the larger vessels behave almost like the larger longliners above 110 GRT with automatic baiting systems and longer trips. The area fished is mainly nearshore, using longline and to some extent automatic, jigging engines. The target species are cod and haddock. The number of licenses is about 90.

Longliners >110 GRT. This group refers to vessels with automatic baiting systems. The main species fished are cod, haddock, ling and tusk. The target species at any one time is dependent on season, availability and market price. In general, they fish mainly for cod and haddock from autumn to spring and for ling and tusk during the summer. During summer they also make a few trips to Icelandic waters. There are 19 vessels in this fleet.

Otter board trawlers <400 HP. This refers to smaller fishing vessels with engine powers up to 500 Hp. The main areas fished are on the banks outside the areas closed for trawling. They mainly target cod and haddock. Some of the vessels are licensed during the summer to fish within the twelve nautical mile territorial fishing limit, targeting lemon sole and plaice.

Otter board trawlers 400-1000 HP. These vessels fish mainly for cod and haddock. They fish primarily in the deeper parts of the Faroe Plateau and the banks to the southwest of the islands.

Otter board trawlers >1000 HP. These vessels, also called the deep-water trawlers, consist of 13 vessels. They target several deep-water fish species, especially redfish, blue ling, Greenland halibut, grenadier and black scabbard fish. Saithe is also a target species and in recent years they have been allocated individual quotas for cod and haddock on the Faroe Plateau.

Pair trawlers <1000 HP. These vessels fish mainly for saithe, however, they also have a significant bycatch of cod and haddock. The main areas fished are the deeper parts of the Faroe Plateau and the banks to the southwest of the islands.

Pair trawlers >1000 HP. This category targets mainly saithe, but by-catch of cod and haddock is important to their profit margin. In addition, some of these vessels during the summers have special licenses to fish in deep water for greater silver smelt. The areas fished by these vessels are the deeper parts of the Faroe Plateau and the banks to the southwest of the islands. Number of vessels in the two pair trawlers fleets is 31.

Gillnetters. This category refers to vessels fishing mainly Greenland halibut and monkfish with set gillnets. They operate in deep waters off the Faroe Plateau, Faroe Bank, Bill Bailey’s Bank, Lousy Bank and the Faroe-Iceland Ridge. This fishery is regulated by the number of licensed vessels (8 vessels) and technical measures like depth and gear specifications. The minimum depth for set gillnets targeting Greenland halibut is 500 meters, while in the monkfish fishery gillnets has to be set deeper than 380 meters.

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Main fishing areas for gillnetters within the Faroese exclusive economic zone.

Jiggers. Consist of a mixed group of smaller and larger vessels using automatic jigging equipment. The target species are saithe and cod. Depending on availability, weather and season, these vessels operate throughout the entire Faroese region. Most of them can change to longlines and in recent years jigging effort has decreased as compared to longlines.

Foreign longliners. These are mainly Norwegian vessels of the same type as the Faroese longliners larger than 110 GRT. They target mainly ling and tusk with by-catches of cod, haddock and blue ling. Norway has in the bilateral fishery agreement with the Faroes achieved a total quota of these species; numbers of vessels can vary from year to year.

Foreign trawlers. These are mainly otter board trawlers of the same type as the Faroese otter board trawlers larger than 1 000 HP. Participating nations are United Kingdom, France, Germany and Greenland. The smaller vessels, mainly from the United Kingdom and Greenland, target cod, haddock and saithe, whereas the larger vessels, mainly French and German trawlers, target saithe and deep-see species like redfish, blue ling, grenadier and black scabbardfish. As for the longliners, the different nations have in their bilateral fishery agreement with the Faroes achieved a total quota of these species; numbers of vessels can vary from year to year.

Other fisheries Fisheries for salmon and tuna (trial fishery by Japanese vessels) have been in operation in Faroese waters, but these fisheries have not been operating for some years now.

Recreational fisheries All citizens are free to go out fishing for their private household. The dominant fishing equipment is hand line with baited hooks. A limited effort using longlines, in halibut fishery, and gillnets, for herring, do occur in nearshore waters.

Marine Mammal distribution in Faroese waters General migration patterns of many of the cetaceans are revealed by combining various maps showing their seasonal distribution in the Faroese area are combined. Although the area may never be empty of marine mammals, more animals enter Faroese waters from south-south-west in the early springtime, March – April. Some of the species and groups of whales pass west of the Faroes heading north. Later in the autumn the animals pass on the eastern side of the archipelago, on their way south to

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the winter area(s). Among the baleen whales, especially, they may divide up in two groups, as soon as they have entered the Faroese area. One group behaves as described above, while the other group is heading directly towards their main summer feeding area south-south-east of the Faroes. These whales stay there all summer, and are later in the season joined by the other group of whales, and they migrate jointly out of the area. Only two pinniped species seem to be numerous and of ecological importance in Faroese waters; the grey and the hooded seal. Grey seals are distributed in Faroese waters all year round, and a low number breeds here as well, while hooded seals seem to migrate periodically, and then in fairly high numbers, in to Faroese waters. It may be appropriate, however, to point out the absent of investigations and subsequent lack of knowledge about seals in Faroese waters.

Marine mammals occur in Faroese waters in different patterns (based on compiled observation data). First, one can encounter marine mammals in the area year round. It is presumed that only a small portion of the populations over-winters in the Faroese area. In this group are the grey seal, fin whale, minke whale, bottlenose whale, killer whale, pilot whale, bottlenose dolphin, white-sided dolphin, and harbour porpoise. Second, a majority of the marine mammals pass the area during their spring and autumn migrations. In this group are the hooded seal, blue whale, fin whale, sei whale, minke whale, sperm whale, and bottlenose whale. Third, portions of the populations of the migrating species swim directly to the main feeding area in the south-south-eastern sector of the Faroese region. They stay there throughout the summer, while the remaining parts of the populations arrive later in early autumn before all leave the area and swim south to the winter areas, wherever they may be. In this group are the blue whale, fin whale, sei whale, minke whale, sperm whale, and some of the smaller dolphin species, especially the white-sided dolphin. Fourth, there are occasional sightings of the rarely occurring species. In this group are the bearded seal, harp seal, ringed seal, harbour seal, Atlantic walrus, humpback whale, Sowerby’s beaked whale, narwhal, beluga, false killer whale, striped dolphin, and the common dolphin.

The marine environment The waters around the Faroe Islands are in the upper 500 m dominated by the North Atlantic current, which to the north of the islands meets the East Icelandic current. Clockwise current systems create retention areas on the Faroe Plateau (Faroe shelf) and on the Faroe Bank. In deeper waters to the north and east is deep Norwegian Sea water, and to the south and west is Atlantic water. From the late 1980s the intensity of the North Atlantic current passing the Faroe area decreased, but it has increased again in the most recent years. The productivity of the Faroese waters was very low in the late 1980s and early 1990s. This applies also to the recruitment of many fish stocks, and the growth of the fish was poor as well. From 1992 onwards the conditions have returned to more normal values which also are reflected in the fish landings. There has been observed a very clear relationship, from primary production to the higher trophic levels (including fish and seabirds), in the Faroe shelf ecosystem, and all trophic levels seem to respond quickly to variability in primary production in the ecosystem.

Bycatch potential of marine mammals in Faroese fisheries The magnitude of the problem with bycatches of marine mammals in fishing gears is determined by occurrence and behaviour of marine mammals and type of fishing gear used. From bycatch reporting, solitary animals seem to be most frequently caught. Set

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gillnets and drift gillnets are the gear types with highest bycatches, while demersal trawls and longlines only occasionally catches seals and whales. Gear types with large swept area, like purse seines and pelagic and midwater trawls, used in the pelagic fisheries, can potentially take whole pods of cetaceans.

In the pelagic fishery for blue whiting, herring and mackerel, purse seines and primarily midwater trawling are used, both by Faroese vessels and foreign fleets. Pelagic shoaling fish species is preferred prey of both whales and dolphins, and they therefore frequently co-occur with the pelagic fleet on the fishing grounds. Bycatches of marine mammals are known to happen in the pelagic fishery. The enormous sweep size of the semi-pelagic trawls in use in the pelagic fishery makes them potentially able to sweep whole pods of cetaceans. One incident is known, where a pod of pilot whales ended in a pelagic trawl, but was able to break the net and get free. In the purse seine fisheries, dolphins, killer whales as well as baleen whales sometimes end inside the seine. In these incidents, fishermen try to direct the animals out of the seine again, because of the risk of extensive damages to the gear. Faroese fishermen have reported about incidences where they have been unable to fish because of high numbers of especially fin and humpback whales. In the purse seine fishery, minke whales inside the seine are known to end up being pulled on board the vessel, with the catch and gear.

The demersal fisheries are mainly performed with longlines and trawls, contributing with more than 90% of total catches of demersal species. These two gear types very rarely take marine mammals as bycatch. A small fleet of eight gillnetters is operating in Faroes waters, with set gillnets. This fleet targets monkfish and Greenland halibut (<3% of total demersal catches) in waters deeper than 380 m (500 m for Greenland halibut). Although gillnets are known to take marine mammals as bycatch fairly frequently, especially in shallow waters, only two reports of bycatch exist from this fishery; a hooded seal caught in 2000 and a juvenile bottlenose whale taken in 2001. The explanation for the infrequent bycatch incidents is the behaviour of the fleet, fishing in deep offshore waters. Potential risk of marine mammal entanglement may be highest during setting and hauling of the gear.

Oceanic drift line fisheries for salmon and tuna have been executed in Faroese waters. In the salmon fishery north of the Faroes, both hooded and harp seals were frequently caught. But bycatch figures were not reported and the magnitude of this bycatch is unknown. In the tuna fishery, that occurred south of the islands, three incidents of bycatch have been reported, by fisheries observers. In one occasions, a hooded seal was caught, while the other incidents were one Sowerby’s beaked whale and one beaked whale, species unknown. These fisheries are not in operation today.

Harbour porpoises and grey seals, the only resident species in Faroese waters, are frequently occurring in shallow waters (<200 m). The only critical coincidences these animals may have with fishing gears is for harbour porpoises set nets and longlines, and for grey seals longlines. A few harbour porpoises have been caught in herring set gillnets in shallow waters, a limited recreational fishery, while one animal is reported foul-hooked on longline. The bycatch level is seemingly numbering only very few animals a year. Grey seals occasionally take fishes already hooked on longlines; with the risk of being foul-hooked. Especially in the halibut longline fishery in shallow waters equipments are durable and entangled grey seals are unable to pull free. Only a

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few grey seals have been reported bycaught on longlines. Two of the incidences were animals taken by commercial longliners.

Bycatch numbers of both harbour porpoise and grey seals seems to be low, perhaps less than five animals per year. Other relatively numerous marine mammal species in Faroese waters are hooded seal, pilot whale, white-sided dolphin, minke whale and fin whale, all mainly distribution in deeper waters off the shelf. Here they overlap and co- occur with the pelagic fishery, and the potential for bycatch is increased.

To conclude, the current fishery in Faroese waters with the highest potential for bycatches of marine mammals is the pelagic fishery operated by purse seiners and pair trawlers, using large opening seines and midwater trawls, fishing for mackerel and blue whiting. Species that have bycaught in these fisheries are mainly pilot whales, minke whales and killer whales. Although a total of only 10 whales have been reported bycaught in the last three years, the Faroese bycatch data have not been through a validated process, so it will be premature at this stage to draw any firm conclusion about the bycatch potential in this fishery. The issue should be explored further as a first priority.

In order to address the magnitude of marine mammal bycatch in Faroese fisheries, the reliability of the bycatch reporting and data has to be explored. Fishermen now have the tool, the electronical logbook, to register bycatch, but since the system is new, one could expect that it will take time for them to get used with the procedure. Additionally, there is a need to explore whether bycatch of marine mammals is a frequent event in the fisheries by the fleet less than 15 BRT, where electronical logbooks are not used. Also, there is a need to modify the electronical logbook system, so that the species of bycaught animals is registered, this is vital information to have in the bycatch data.

Marine Mammals in Faroese waters

Pinnipeds

Hooded seal Hooded seal is an arctic ice-breeding mammal. The breeding stock closest to the Faroes is along the ice edge in the Jan Mayen area. It is observed in Faroese waters most frequently as by-catch in pelagic long-line fisheries for salmon (Salmo salar) north of the Faroes. It has been observed near-shore as well. A bounty-hunting period in the Faroes in 1963 – 1967 resulted in three records of hunted hooded seals, two juveniles and one adult. These animals were most probably taken in inshore waters. Satellite tagging studies of hooded seals, both sub-adults and adults, from the West Ice breeding stock (Jan Mayen area) has shown that these mammals frequently made excursions to remote areas, most frequently to Faroese waters. The seals were found to spend 15% of the year in Faroese waters, mostly in May and autumn/winter. Their migration to and stay in Faroese waters is related to foraging. The seals may feed mainly on the frequently occurring blue whiting (Micromesistius poutassou), which spawns west of the Hebrides in April and then migrates northward through Faroese waters in May and southward again in winter. Hooded seals prefer the deeper waters (> 200 m) of the Faroe Shelf. Reported sightings of hooded seals in the open sea have been in deep waters, predominantly in the deep, Faroe – Shetland Channel area. However, the distribution of this species in Faroese waters may be determined by and the accessibility of potential food. The offshore distribution of hooded seals, together with the fact that seals stay submerged for a high portion of time when at sea, certainly would explain the few reported observations of this mammal in Faroese waters. With a stock number of West Ice hooded seals of approximately 250,000, the annual number of migrating hooded seals in Faroese

16 NAMMCO/SC/24/BYC/13 waters may be significant, and could make this the most numerous seal species in Faroese waters on an annual basis.

Bearded seal No ancient documentation exists of bearded seal observations in Faroese waters. However, five individuals have been seen here recently, in 1982, 1989, 1994, 1998 and 2000. The two seals observed most recently were juveniles and they spent several months in the Faroes, foraging and visibly fattening before they disappeared again. Of note, this pattern is also observed in Shetland, although bearded seal is an arctic species. Observations of bearded seals in Faroese waters could indicate that juveniles of this seal species are stragglers in their first ages. Modest population sizes would, however, imply that this seal species, which prefers shallow waters in the arctic, might not be an annual visitor to Faroese waters.

Grey seal The grey seal is the only pinniped species currently breeding in the Faroes. This resident species is distributed throughout the Faroes, most frequently in remote areas facing the sea. The bounty period in 1963-1967 resulted in 970 animals taken, and the population was then estimated to number 3,000. Today, the stock is probably smaller although the exact number is unknown. Grey seals in the Faroes are a nuisance to salmon farmers and some are shot every year. This protective response may explain, however, why the stock has not increased considerably during the last twenty years. Tagging studies have indicated that grey seals from British waters may commonly migrate northward into Faroese waters. Although the Faroese grey seal stock may not number more than 2,000 individuals, the relatively frequent migration of British seals into Faroese waters would result in higher annual numbers of this species, although it may be difficult to determine exact numbers. Foraging and migrating grey seals may be distributed throughout the Faroe Shelf and slope area, but their chief foraging areas are shallower than 500 m.

Harp seal Harp seals, an arctic seal species, were formerly taken quite frequently in Faroese waters. More recently, harp seals, together with hooded seals, have also been seen in connection with the salmon fishery north of the Faroes. No individuals have beached in the islands. The distribution of harp seal deviates from that of the hooded seal with regard to food preference and migration pattern. Variation in distribution is observed between years with the changing accessibility of potential food species at their main feeding grounds. Thus, harp seals from the East Ice breeding stock may search out foraging grounds further south in the North Atlantic during periods with low food accessibility in the north and, as a result, could be more numerous in Faroese waters during such periods. However, the overall occurrence of harp seal in Faroese waters may be low on an annual basis.

Ringed seal Ringed seal, which is the most northerly distributed or arctic pinniped species in the North Atlantic, has been reported in the Faroes, but only in association with the 1963 – 1967 bounty period during which five animals were taken. It is not anticipated that this arctic mammal will frequently occur in Faroese waters.

Harbour seal A breeding stock of harbour seal previously existed in the Faroes. Supposedly, the hunting pressure for this resident seal species rose too high, and the last was taken in 1845. Since then, harbour seals have only been observed in connection with bounty hunts, first in 1889 – 1891 where one specimen was caught, and again in 1963 – 1967 where four harbour seals were shot. These four harbour seals, all taken from the southernmost part of Suðuroy, were supposedly migrating. Both Iceland and Great Britain possess breeding populations of harbour seals. Surprisingly, this species, which is a more resident, inshore species than the grey seal, but which has been observed in offshore deep-sea waters of Britain, has not re-established a breeding stock in Faroese waters.

Atlantic walrus The walrus is a high arctic species, but is known to migrate for long distances. Eleven walruses have been reported from Faroes waters, the last time in April 1998. All records have been in winter-spring, from December-April. The walruses occurring in the Faroes supposedly come from the Svalbard-

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Barents Sea-White Sea region or north-eastern Greenland. With increasing populations in these areas, the frequency of straggling walruses appearing in Faroese waters may increase. On an annual basis, however, the annual number of walruses in Faroese waters is most likely on the order of none to a few.

Cetaceans

Blue whale

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The old whalers noticed that ”… blue whales at spring time were easier to follow than the 12 compass, …. they would reach the sound between Vágoy and Koltur”. Even today, 10 irregular observations are made in Hestfjørður and Vestmannasund of this rare whale species, 8 numbering about ten individuals in Faroese waters out of the about 500 individuals in the 6 north-eastern part of the North Atlantic in summertime. Overall, blue whales are

4 observed in the Faroese area from March – November with peak observations occurring in August. 2

The known positions of blue whales show that 0 they swim along the shelf border using the Jan Mar May Jul Sep Nov Shetland Channel and Faroe Bank Channel.

Annual distribution

These observations indicate that some of the blue whales pass by the western side of the archipelago in springtime. They are observed in Icelandic waters in June – August and pass through Faroese waters again in July, this time swimming east of the islands. Another group seems to swim directly to the area south-south-east of the islands on the eastern side of the Suðuroy and Sandoyar Banks. Finally, all the blue whales seem to congregate in this area before they swim south in October.

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Fin whale

May June

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July August

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1311 9753 1311 9 7 5 3 Catch positions, May - August September October

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60 0 Jan Mar May Jul Sep Nov 1311 9 7 5 3 Observations by number Annual distribution

The fin whale is a very abundant baleen whale in the area. Faroese commercial whaling began in 1894 and targeted this species especially. Fin whales were the most common whale species taken in the whaling period 1894 – 1984, with at least 7,524 individuals shot. According to current data, fin whales number 1,776 in the Faroese area. Total numbers are estimated to be 15,000 in Faroese-Icelandic waters and 50,000 in the North Atlantic Ocean.

Fin whales are observed year round in the area. Most of the recorded fin whale sightings have been single individuals, but pods as large as 10 – 12 individuals have been observed. They congregate where plankton is abundant. In years with sufficient amounts of plankton, congregations of up to 25 individuals have been observed. Information from recorded shootings has made it possible to see patterns of area usage year round as well as to follow migrations through the area. The abundance of data on this species shows that it has the same migratory pattern as the blue whale, although greater detail is available. One group of fin whales heads directly to the main feeding area in the south-south- east corner of the Faroese area. These animals remain there throughout the season. Another group swims through the Faroe Bank Channel, then clockwise around the archipelago, finally mixing with the first group. The mixed group then leave the area in October – November.

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Sei whale

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1311 9753 1311 9753 Catch positions Observations by number

16 In the period 1894 – 1979, a total of 2,140 sei

14 whales were shot, making this species the second most common hunted baleen whale. 12 The positions of whales shot during this period, combined with more recent 10 observations, form the basis of our 8 understanding of the activity of sei whales in this area. 6

0 Jan Mar May Jul Sep Nov

Annual distribution

The seasonal occurrence of the majority of sei whales (May – October) is shorter than for fin whales (April – November). Generally, the sei whales arrive a month later in spring and depart a month sooner in autumn; however, there are some observations of this species in both February and December. Old whalers mentioned that the occurrence of sei whales in Faroese waters was very irregular and this is still the case. In some years, sei whales are much more numerous than in others. They can be seen south-south-east and north-west off the Faroes, and are nearly always outside the shelf border. In other years, they are observed in the south-south-eastern corner of the Faroese area, between the Faroes and Shetland, and south-west of Iceland. The sei whale is a pelagic whale that feeds both as a skimmer and a swallower. It has a population size up to 13,500 whales in Icelandic waters and has yet to be divided into subspecies. The reason for its irregular abundance in Faroese waters is something of a mystery. The same irregularity is also seen in Norwegian waters.

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Minke whale

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1311 9753 Observations by number Annual distribution

The minke whale is the smallest and most numerous of the baleen whales, with an estimated population size of about 200,000 in the North Atlantic. About 10,000 individuals occur in Faroese waters. This species was never hunted commercially because of its small size. A few (99 in the period, 1966 – 1968) were shot for local human consumption in the Faroes. The distribution pattern is more opportunistic. Peak abundance occurs from March – November, with a distinct peak in June – September. A few sightings occur in December – January. Of the baleen whales, this species occurs most frequently in the inshore areas, swimming between the islands especially in August. The minke whale has been seen in a broad belt stretching from western Norway, north of Shetland, through the Faroes and around Iceland. Inside the Faroese area, minke whales seem to prefer the area south-east of the islands.

Humpback whale

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12 Few humpback whales were shot during the commercial whaling period. Monthly 10 distribution statistics, based on records from 8 this period combined with later observations, show a summer occurrence in Faroese waters 6 from April – October. Most sightings are of single individuals, however, pods of up to 4 seven humpback whales have been observed. 2 A special survey conducted in 1991 shows that the population is increasing and is now 0 estimated to be around 10,600 in the North Jan M ar M ay Jul Sep Nov Atlantic

Annual distribution

There are an unknown, but probably very small number of humpback whales in the Faroes. During summer in the North Atlantic, the main humpback area is west of Iceland; however, individuals are observed just to the east of Iceland, as well as between Shetland and the Faroes.

Sperm whale

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100 90 80 The sperm whale is an offshore, deep-sea 70 species. Only males are observed north of 60 Spain. Females and calves live all their lives near the equator. Sperm whales are seen in 50 Faroese waters from February – November, 40 with a main peak in September. Very few 30 observations occur in inshore areas. Sperm

20 whales are regularly seen in small bachelor pods, but occasionally pods with up to 60 10 whales have been observed. Population counts 0 in the North Atlantic show a mean of about Jan Mar May Jul Sep Nov 20,000 sperm whales.

Annual distribution

In the Faroese area, sperm whales are mostly seen on the outer side of the shelf border and in a broad belt from Shetland to East Iceland. Congregations of sperm whales also spend their summers off northern Norway. Since the cessation of commercial sperm whaling, beached sperm whales, dead or alive, have become more common in the North Atlantic. In the Faroes, strandings of dead sperm whales have been a regular phenomenon. Nine whales have been found in the last ten years, with up to three whales in a single year.

Northern Bottlenose whale

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For as long as the Faroe Islands has been inhabited, the pilot whale and the northern bottlenose whale have been taken for human consumption in a traditional drive fishery. Catch statistics go back to 1584, with unbroken records from 1709. From 1584 until today, 656 bottlenose whales have been taken. Pod sizes have averaged 2.1 ± 0.04 (range 1-7). Furthermore, 92 bottlenose whales were taken in offshore commercial whaling during the period 1894 – 1935. The bottlenose whale was protected by the IWC in 1986. Using NASS data, a study group under NAMMCO has calculated the population size of this species in the eastern part of the North Atlantic to be around 40,000 individuals. Annual Faroese hunting pressure ranges from 0.0-0.6% and is on average 0.1%. Even an annual take of 300 bottlenose whales will not visibly impact the population size.

NAMMCO/SC/24/BYC/13

Bottlenose whale drives have occurred in every month of the year, but show a narrow main season occurring in August – September. It is very interesting to note that 72.2% of bottlenose whales have arrived at the two northernmost villages on Suðuroy, the southernmost island in the archipelago. The bottlenose whale feeds on squid. The variety of squid species found in Faroese waters means that the diet for these animals is much more varied here than elsewhere in the North Atlantic. The rich upwelling area around the Faroes, created by the convergence of several currents, must be the reason for the rich abundance and large variety of different squid species. Little is known so far about distribution and migrations routes of the various squid species in the North Atlantic.

The northern bottlenose whale is very unique in Faroese waters because its distribution pattern is quite different from the other mentioned species. This whale is mainly found in the area named the “bottlenose area” by the old whalers, i.e. an area north of the Faroes and east of Iceland between 63° – 65°N and 4° – 8°W. In this area, one can find the bottlenose whale nearly year round. Bottlenose whales are also found around the Faroe Bank in the Faroe Bank Channel. Only two records, both in May, come from the south-south-eastern sector of the area, where nearly all the other species occur.

Killer whale

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Faroese law protected the killer whale in 1986. Prior to that, a small number of individuals were taken for food. The killer whale fishery was conducted as a drive fishery in the same way that pilot and bottlenose whales were taken.

Most killer whales are seen in pods of less than 15 individuals. Only once did a pod number 80 whales. About 5,000 killer whales are calculated to be in Icelandic waters and the adjacent area. A cautious estimate of 1,000 killer whales can be made for the Faroese area. The killer whale is in the area year round, but a main peak occurs in May. Abundance fades during the remainder of the year. The diet of the killer whale is varied. It feeds on fish as well as other whales, seals, and seabirds. The whale is also a great nuisance to fishing boats, as the whale eats the bait and/or the hooked fish.

The killer whale is a widely distributed species and is found mostly in a broad belt from Shetland via the Faroes to eastern Iceland. It is seldom observed between the south-eastern part of Iceland and west of the Faroes.

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Long-finned Pilot whale

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The long-finned pilot whale is a very abundant whale in the entire North Atlantic region with a population size estimated at 778,000 in the eastern part of the North Atlantic alone. An international research programme was conducted in the Faroe Islands in 1984 – 1986. The programme gathered essential data that have assisted in the understanding of the social and ecological dynamics of the exploited population and have contributed to providing the biological basis for a management programme. This research programme sampled information from 3,470 whales from 40 different pods or grinds, with the result that the pilot whale is one of the most documented and well-researched smaller cetacean species in the world.

Moreover, pilot and bottlenose whaling statistics from the Faroe Islands must be the most extensive, harvest statistics available world-wide with over 400 years of recorded data, unbroken since 1709. These whaling statistics cover more than 250,000 pilot whales from more than 1,800 grinds from the period 1584 to the present. The biological material expressed in the statistics provides a marvellous opportunity for a variety of analyses, for instance, a study of the rhythmic, oscillating changes corresponding to climatic changes.

The pilot whale fishery is opportunistic and occurs year round with a main season from June – October. This is a significantly different and longer season than the bottlenose whale peak season. Annual Faroese hunting pressure ranges from 0.0 – 0.6% and is on average 0.1%. This means that the average annual take of 850 pilot whales has no significant impact on the population size.

The eastern long-finned pilot whale is found in a broad belt from an area off Western Norway west to the Irminger Sea off southern Greenland. The western long-finned pilot whale occurs from Newfoundland to Cape Hatteras and perhaps also west of Greenland. The data do not identify any area within Faroese waters with a permanent, large population of pilot whales. Instead, a pattern is demonstrated that is related to the location of the polar front, where arctic water masses coming from north of the Faroes meet the Atlantic Current coming from the south-west. This polar front influences the distribution of pilot whales in Faroese waters. Some years, for example the year 2000, an enormous number of pilot whales were found in the eastern side of the region. In other years, it is otherwise. Pilot whales, fitted with satellite transmitters, have been tracked on two occasions in the Faroese. Overall, tracks have covered the period late summer to winter. The main distribution area has been in deep waters northeast of the islands. In 2000, all three whales separated, perhaps not in full agreement with earlier investigations, where the pod structure, at least between females and juveniles, was stated very stable. In 2004, whales stayed together for the total tracking period. The pod stayed northeast of the Faroes at least until 4 January 2005, when contact was lost. This was contradictory to the general opinion that cetaceans migrate south for the winter. The main prey of pilot whales in the north is most likely blue whiting and mackerel.

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Movements of three pilot whales tracked in 2000 (longest track 47 days)

Movements of seven pilot whales tracked in 2004/05 (longest track 133 days)

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White-Beaked dolphin

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1311 9753 Observations by number Annual distribution

The white-beaked dolphin is an abundant dolphin with an estimated population of 30,000 – 80,000 in the north-east Atlantic. The species can be difficult to determine at sea, as indicated by the fact that reports often note the dolphins as “smaller dolphins” or “larger dolphins” or “albirostris/acutus”.

This species of dolphin occurs more often inshore and, therefore, is much more common in Icelandic waters than Faroese waters. Nevertheless, a few individuals are sometimes taken in the Faroes along with pilot whales in mixed schools.

White-Sided dolphin

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1311 9 7 5 3 Observations by number Annual distribution

The white-sided dolphin is a common species in Faroese waters, as indicated by observations and whaling statistics. This species often occurs mixed with pilot whales. In all, 12,969 white-sided dolphins were recorded in the period 1872 – 2000. Half the number (6,476) was harvested in the period 1872 – 2000 and half (6,493) were observed in the period 1988 – 2000. Pod sizes have ranged up to one thousand, but most are around fifty individuals.

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The white-sided dolphin is seen year round in Faroese waters with a spring peak in April – May and an autumn main peak in August – November. It appears that this species is less abundant north and west of the Faroes. NASS data yields a population estimate of 40,000 individuals in “Icelandic and adjacent waters”, and data from the NASS-89 Faroese vessel states that the white-sided dolphin was the most numerous of the observed smaller dolphin species. The available data, thus, yields a very cautious estimate of 50,000 individuals in the Faroese area.

The fin whale, the minke whale, and the pilot whale were the high-priority species of the NASS studies. A lack of controlled data, therefore, has made it difficult to determine the exact number of smaller dolphin species, such as the white-sided dolphin, the white-beaked dolphin, the bottlenose dolphin, and the harbour porpoise, as well as rarely occurring species. Thus, there exits a major gap in our knowledge of distribution and abundance patterns of all the smaller cetacean species.

The biology of the white-sided dolphin is not well known. A recommendation from NAMMCO in 1999 to study landed specimens of the smaller cetaceans in the Faroes is, therefore, most welcome as such a study will assist in answering outstanding questions.

Bottlenose dolphin

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1311 9753 Observations by number Annual distribution

The bottlenose dolphin found in Faroese waters is presumably the most northerly of the offshore North Atlantic population(s), with the most northerly inshore population found on the eastern side of Scotland. Only a single bottlenose dolphin has been observed off Shetland. The NASS studies only mention observations of this species and no calculation of abundance has been made thus far. A very cautious estimate of the number of bottlenose dolphins in the Faroese area is around 1,000 individuals.

The bottlenose dolphin is the third species that often mixes with pilot whales and, thus, this species is also occasionally harvested. Whaling statistics record a harvest of 943 individuals from 1803 to 2000. Observations of 2,411 individuals, recorded from 1988 – 2000, indicate that bottlenose dolphins can be in the area throughout the year, but occur mainly in autumn. Pod sizes have ranged up to 1,000, but most are around ten individuals.

The bottlenose dolphin is known to feed on fish, but their diet in the Faroes is not known in detail. A recommendation from NAMMCO in 1999 to study landed specimens of smaller cetaceans in the Faroes is, therefore, most welcome and will hopefully assist in a better understanding of this species.

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Harbour Porpoise

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1311 9753 Observations by number Annual distribution

The harbour porpoise is observed year round in small pods numbering 15 to 25 individuals and in June, females with calves can be seen. This species is observed mostly on the shelf within the 500 m contour, but there have also been sightings further offshore. A population numbering about 5,000 is considered to be more or less stationary in the area. Faroese distribution patterns differ from Shetland patterns by not being concentrated in autumn. Several (27) observations (excluding the NASS observations) were made far away from the coast. This means that this species is not only found inshore, but also occurs offshore to a depth of 500 m.

A general sighting survey with priority on the smaller dolphin species will better clarify their distribution patterns. This data, supplemented with the satellite tagging of some of the harbour porpoises in the Faroes, will reveal if there is any connection between the dolphins in Shetland and the dolphins in the Faroes.

Rarely Observed Marine Mammals Several marine mammal species are observed occasionally in Faroese waters. The different species and their numbers vary over time and their appearance is supposedly connected to periodic climatic changes. The impact of these species is, of course, negligible on the total ecosystem and their appearance only enhances our understanding of the biodiversity of the area. A more comprehensive species description is not included in this report, but the pattern of occurrence of some species is given below.