Bycatch News

From Seafood Source: Canada's government has announced several measures to help protect the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) during the upcoming year, including measures to reduce the risk of interaction with fishing gear. 

Read more: Canada announces North Atlantic right whale protections for 2026 

From Fishing News: North Sea whitefish vessels have reached a milestone in a new bycatch monitoring trial. Participating vessels are using remote electronic monitoring cameras on seven vessels, as well as sensors on conveyor belts, to collect baseline data on the frequency of seabird interactions. 

Read more: Co-designed bird bycatch avoidance trial rolled out - Fishing News

From the Responsible Seafood Advocate: Fatal interactions with orca whales in the Bering Sea deep-water flatfish fishery spurred industry to collaborate with scientists, gear manufacturers, and marine mammal experts to develop a "killer whale fence" that deters orcas from following fish into trawl nets. 

Read more: Good fences make good fisheries: Alaska flatfish fleet mitigates orca bycatch via innovation - Responsible Seafood Advocate

The Shark Conservation Fund (SCF) is a collaboration of philanthropists dedicated to restoring ocean health through sweeping shark and ray conservation. SCF's goal is to help maintain the vibrancy of the world’s oceans by halting the overexploitation of sharks and rays and to prevent extinctions through strategic, collaborative, and catalytic grantmaking. The Small Grant Fund supports these objectives by providing grants of up to $25,000, with a duration of 18 months. SCF allocates $250,000 annually for Small Grants, funding up to 10 projects each year. 

The Consortium for Wildlife Bycatch Reduction, in collaboration with Ocean Associates, Inc., and with funding from Broadreach, is pleased to announce the availability of grants for reducing marine bycatch.

 

Please note, the application period for this grant has now closed. 

Oceanographic magazine: A new study combines satellite tracking, fishing vessel data and ocean science to identify high-risk zones where fishing threatens endangered Antipodean albatrosses. 

 

From the Fishing Daily: The North Western Waters Advisory Council (NWWAC) and the North Sea Advisory Council (NSAC) have called on the EU Commission to overhaul the Landing Obligation policy. 

Virginia, USA is considering a requirement that recreational crab fishers use TEDs in their crab pots to reduce bycatch of terrapins.
See:
quirephttps://phys.org/news/2025-07-virginia-marine-resources-commission-requiring.html

Virginia, USA is considering a requirement that recreational crab fishers use TEDs in their crab pots to reduce bycatch of terrapins.
See:
quirephttps://phys.org/news/2025-07-virginia-marine-resources-commission-requiring.html

One of my heroes has released a powerful film about the natural history of The Ocean: https://www.hulu.com/watch/1d8f1a4a-72dc-4532-a0e0-d35daa00d3a7

 

This should be viewed in all schools, all workplaces, as widely as possible

 

OCEAN WITH DAVID ATTENBOROUGH | OFFICIAL TRAILER | IN CINEMAS NOW |  Altitude Films