The Pros And Cons Of Cetacean Bycatch

Overfishing is a death sentence to the world’s oceans. As technology continues to improve a great deal of fish can be caught quicker; but at what cost? The effects of overfishing can lead to the extinction of not just the animals being fished, but also the predators that rely on fish to eat. Ninety percent of the ocean’s largest animals have been wiped out due to overfishing (“Overfishing- A Global Disaster”, 2011). National Geographic cites the academic journal Science (2006) that predicts by 2048, all fisheries will collapse due to lack of ocean wildlife. Fish are not the only animal caught in the nets used by fishing vessels. Often animals such as dolphins, sharks, turtles, and seabirds are

Bycatch is a significant issue affecting marine mammals in New Zealand. This paper will focus on the effect that squid trawling has on the declining population of the New Zealand sea lion. This paper will address whether current mechanisms that seek to protect the New Zealand sea lion are robust and will recommend options for reform.

The purpose of these devices is to reduce such bycatch, but with every tool there are pros and cons, positive and negative effects. When an acoustic pinger is put to use, all of these effects must be considered too when a marine mammal is exposed to the noise emitted by an acoustic pinger: potential for habituation, the “dinner bell effect”, changes in swimming behaviors and respiration rates, potential for change in echolocation behaviors, and the ideal frequency the pinger must have to create avoidance from fishery nets. Change in behaviors of fish not targeted by the acoustic pingers should still be taken into account as well upon use of these pingers. In addition, issues can lie within how the acoustic pinger is handled by fishermen: inefficient usage and the potential for equipment failure, along with varying degrees of willingness to use such a device on fishing trips can greatly impact the reduction rates of marine mammal bycatch, and even create the risk of further increasing bycatch rates when the goal was to lower them in the first place. Thus, while acoustic pingers were built with good intentions at conserving marine mammal species in attempt to reduce their rates as bycatch in fisherman nets, careful consideration must occur when putting one of these devices into actual use, including analysis of impacts from the perspectives of the target marine mammal species, the non-targeted nearby fish species, and the fishermen running the fishing nets. The conclusion can be drawn that if acoustic pingers are put into use, they must be completely be put into use as a full and not partial set of pingers on the net, high maintenance must be kept up with to lower the chance of equipment failure, and the pingers must be specialized for certain marine mammal species in order to produce optimal results of reduction of marine mammal bycatch. It seems that the

Cetaceans often suffer specific injuries that can be used to determine if a cetacean was bycaught (Kuiken 1994). However, not all bycaught individuals suffer from injuries, and there is no single injury that can 100% diagnose bycatch. Previous studies have shown that the type and degree of the injuries cetaceans sustain during entanglement varies and depends on the fishing gear and fishing methods used (Jepson et al. 2013), as well as varying dependant on the age or species (Soulsbury et al. 2008).

It is important that we continue to research known harmful anthropogenic sounds and their effects on cetaceans to limit further damage, and to research other sources of noise due to humans and their potential effects to prevent future harm. Through research, it is shown that various noise pollution caused by humans can have detrimental effects on cetaceans such as harbor porpoises, bottlenose dolphins, killer whales, and Cuvier’s beaked whales. Shipping, windfarm construction, and sonar can cause temporary or permanent hearing threshold changes, which can result in decreased foraging ability and communication ability. Shipping has been seen to decrease foraging time and cause acoustic masking. Sonar can cause death due to strandings and lesions. These all add up to show that, overall, noise pollution by humans has a serious effect on the quality of life for cetaceans. It is also important to recognize that absence of a detected reaction does not mean that there is no impact on these cetaceans. It is possible that noise pollution can cause physiological and psychological responses without any external symptoms we can detect. It may be important to develop methods to observe these more subtle reactions to noise pollution that may impact cetacean’s way of life. It is important that humans realize the full extent of their effect on marine life and create measures to prevent more harm. Noise pollution’s effect on cetaceans affect not only these species, but the other marine life they interact with and the ecosystems of the

The last several decades have seen the accelerating trend of protecting animal right, and plenty of people regard certain acts which do not respect animal right as brutal, barbarous. Today, dolphin hunting is also included in such view by some western animal right protesters. However this debate is not about animal right. Rather, this controversy is on whether the majority has the right to oppress the minority, and whether we can prioritize given species than the others. Therefore I cast doubt on their arguments, and even though I am not active advocate of dolphin hunting, I would like to say dolphin hunting should not be prohibited for following three reasons.

Countless amounts of great whales will be illegally caught and slaughtered for commercial sale and “scientific” research this year. In spite of a worldwide moratorium, put in place by the International Whaling Commission twenty four years ago banning the act of commercial whaling, three defiant countries continue to hunt whales illegally. If these countries hunt whales against the law and continue to get away with minimal consequence it may encourage other countries to resume their whaling operations. If stricter laws are not out in place the whale populations will be hunted to extinction and the greatest conservation accomplishment of the twentieth century will go down the drain.

The oceans, lakes, rivers, ponds, and streams where they live are threatened by fisheries, pollution, and shortness of their food supply. The Irrawaddy River dolphin and the Vaquita Porpoise are two cetaceans in danger. The Irrawaddy River dolphin is listed as Vulnerable, while the Vaquita Porpoise is Critically Endangered. These cetaceans are in trouble. They do not breathe underwater and drown in nets. They also have a dwindling food supply. Pollution also puts these marine mammals at

The term has been written by Simon Northridge. what is bycatch? It is the unfortunate event of marine mammals getting caught and killed during fishing.most of the time, these mammals deaths were completely unintentional by the fishermen but it regularly happens during fishing operations. Bycatch is therefore incidental catches. No matter the fishing gear, they have all catched at least once, unwanted marine mammals especially in greatly fished areas. Species like whales, porpoises and others find their way into these gears but are unable to get out of them. A staggering 300, 000 marine mammals are killed through bycatch. For many years, and to this day, bycatches of marine mammals are seen as bonus and therefore used to sell for consumption.

Dolphins are known as some of the most intelligent creatures so why are they being used for profit and abusive entertainment purposes? In the documentary “Cove”, former dolphin trainer and activist Ric O'Barry's quest to document the dolphin hunting operations in Taiji, Wakayama, Japan. In the 1960s, O'Barry helped capture and train the five wild dolphins who shared the role of "Flipper" in the hit television series of the same name. The show was very popular, and it fueled widespread public adoration of dolphins, further influencing the development of marine parks that included dolphins in their attractions. After one of the dolphins, in O'Barry's opinion, committed

Marine poaching is a significant problem affecting marine ecosystem as well as the commercial economy. Diverse organisms not only balance the ecosystem but also promote the economy of the subject region through tourism. Extinction due to marine poaching is a pressing issue that occurs worldwide. Hunting of marine lives is conducted for various reasons, including domestic, commercial as well as sport or fun. Marine hunting still existed in the traditional era, however; in the modern economic times, some of the poaching activities are being conducted at an alarming rate such that the target organism may soon undergo extinction. Among other species, the most affected marine organisms include sea turtles, sea lions, and whales. As such, effective

Dolphins are being used as a food source. These animals are being killed off because people think they are a food source. It doesn't just kill dolphins but kills humans. “Dolphins have mercury in their skin which is very toxic to the human body and can cause memory loss, seizures and even death”(“The Dangers of Eating Dolphin Meat”). when consumed . As a result of dolphins being hunted there has been a huge decrease in their population. Humans are killing a species of a marine mammal, these types of animals are very smart and one of the most seen animal. Eating this animal is making it go

Scottish coastal waters accommodate several populations of cetacean species. However, the interference of human activities on the marine habitat has been increasing gradually and thus, impacted the marine creatures negatively. This paper introduces different cetaceans that can be found in seas surrounding Scotland, threats that can affect them and how humans can tackle the problems through conservation and management. Some suggestions may not be successfully carried out but they still act as potential methods that can be applicable.

Unsustainable Fishing: this category involves using nets, fishing methods and other sorts of equipment that catch far too much fish. They catch in such a large number that the fish become endangered. It also involves catching sea animals other than fish during the same process, These are called the by-catch. A lot of the time, the “by-catch” is destroyed and thrown back into the ocean. This method also catches very young fish and that eventually will cause the extinction of the entire species.

People and dolphins have shared New Zealand’s coastal waters for centuries. In recent years there has been increasing awareness of marine mammals and the threats they face within our coastal environments (Department of Conservation1, n.d.). The Banks Peninsula Marine Mammal Sanctuary was implemented in 1988 as a result of conflict between local and commercial fisherman, and the endangered Hector’s dolphin. Due to increasing concern despite the sanctuary’s set up, the Hector’s and Maui’s Dolphin Threat Management Plan was drafted in 2007 to place further restrictions on fishing practices within the area. The formation of the sanctuary has created a safer habitat for the local dolphin population, but in the process has negatively affected the livelihoods of many local fishermen within the region.