Bycatch monitoring programmes in the UK estimate that thousands of cetaceans, seabirds, seals and elasmobranchs are caught each year. Through the Fisheries Act 2020 and the Joint Fisheries Statement (JFS), the UK government and devolved administrations have recognised the need to minimise and, where possible, eliminate bycatch of these sensitive marine species as part of a wider effort to ensure the sustainability of our fisheries. Other domestic (for example, the UK marine strategy) and international frameworks also emphasise the urgent need to reduce bycatch.
The bycatch mitigation initiative brings together existing work under one strategy and sets out how the UK will achieve its ambitions with five policy objectives:
- Improving understanding of bycatch and entanglement of sensitive marine species through monitoring and scientific research.
- Identifying “hotspot” or high-risk areas, gear types and/or fisheries for bycatch and entanglement in the UK in which to focus monitoring and mitigation.
- Developing, adopting and implementing effective measures to minimise and, where possible, eliminate bycatch and entanglement of sensitive marine species.
- Identifying and adopting effective incentives for fisheries to implement bycatch and entanglement mitigation measures.
- Working with the international community to share best practice and lessons learned to contribute to the understanding, reduction and elimination of bycatch and entanglement globally.
As part of this initiative, Defra have identified a non-exhaustive list of actions that could help to achieve the above objectives and described what outcomes could result from taking these actions. Each fisheries policy authority is responsible for considering which actions (from this list or otherwise) may be relevant in their waters, how actions will be implemented with regards to specific species, areas or fisheries, and in what order and timescale.
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