New project to reduce marine animal entanglement in creel-fishing gear
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A joint effort is under way to reduce the level of marine animal entanglement in creel-fishing gear around Scottish waters.
The nature agency NatureScot published a report today on the first phase of the Scottish Entanglement Alliance (SEA) project, the first of its kind in the UK.
It brings together commercial creel fishers, research scientists, NatureScot and marine mammal conservation and rescue charities to gain a better understanding of the scale of entanglement by whales, sharks and other sea life off Scotland's coasts.
Entanglements in fishing gear and marine debris can have both a welfare and conservation impact on marine animals, causing injury, impairment and death. Entanglement is the largest identified cause of death due to human activity in minke and humpback whales in Scottish waters, and the only known cause of human-driven mortality in basking sharks and marine turtles.
During surveys at sea, more than 22 per cent of live minke whales observed on the west coast showed evidence of previous entanglement.
The project involved interviewing 159 creel fishers about their fishing practices and their experience of entanglement. A total of 146 entanglements over a 10-year period were reported.
Only a small number of these were previously known, demonstrating that entanglements are "hugely under-reported", according to NatureScot. The interviews also revealed that a wider range of species were involved than previously known.
Fishers also took part in training events and workshops to promote best practice, reduce entanglement risk and safely disentangle large marine animals from fishing gear. This training gave fishers the ability to call on each other and safely provide a rapid response to any entangled animal.
NatureScot’s fisheries adviser Dr Kirstie Dearing said: “We all find it upsetting to see our majestic marine species in distress, so we’re really heartened by the strong commitment and willingness of the fishing industry to work towards practical, safe and sustainable solutions on the issue of entanglement.
"We will only solve this problem by working in collaboration on potential legislative changes. The new reporting obligation will also help us to understand the extent of the issue more clearly.”
Based on feedback from the fishers, the report recommends a number of ways to combat marine entanglement, including trials of weighted ropes (ropes that sink rather than float) and tighter regulation to limit the amount of gear in the water and put caps on creel numbers – all of which were supported by fishers involved in the study, NatureScot said.
Other recommendations include developing seasonal distribution maps of vulnerable species to identify potential high-risk areas, and trials of "on-call" – or ropeless – fishing systems.
Bally Philip, of the Scottish Creel Fishermen’s Federation (SCFF), said: “The SCFF is proud to have taken part in this study which is at the forefront of understanding and finding mitigations for tackling the global problem of marine animal entanglement in fishing gear.
"The project demonstrates that when an alliance of government, industry, academics and conservation groups collaborate, solutions can be progressed to a degree that would otherwise be hard to achieve.
"We look forward to collaborating with our partners on sourcing funding for the next phase of this project, which will be to research and develop equipment and strategies to reduce entanglement of cetaceans and sharks in our fisheries.”
This research focussed on entanglements in fishing gear associated with the creel sector. However, cases involving monofilament line and trawl netting have also been observed.
The study was led by NatureScot and supported by the SCFF, the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme, British Divers Marine Life Rescue, Whale and Dolphin Conservation and the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust. It was funded by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund.
