Posts by Sarah Dolman
Progress for our campaign as New Zealand takes action to protect dolphins from fishing nets
Following our long-running campaign to save endangered Hector’s dolphins, the New Zealand government has announced action … but will it be enough? Hector’s dolphins live only around New Zealand and their safety and survival is at risk from dying in fishing nets as ‘bycatch’. We’ve been campaigning hard to get the most dangerous nets banned…
Read MoreBuying fish – can you ever be sure that dolphins haven’t suffered?
In the future, dolphins, porpoises and whales won’t get caught in fishing gear – that’s our goal. Entanglement in fishing nets and gear is known as ‘bycatch’ and it’s the biggest threat to dolphins, porpoises and whales on the planet today. Nobody, including fishers, wants them to suffer this way. But until this future, is…
Read MoreWhat we must do to protect UK dolphins, porpoises and whales from fishing gear after Brexit
How the UK manages fishing in its waters after we leave the EU is outlined in the new Fisheries Bill. This legislation is working its way through the House of Commons and had its second reading last week. You may have been one of the 75,535 people who joined our campaign asking for a new…
Read MoreUrgent step change needed to stop dolphins suffering in fishing nets
Does sustainably caught fish mean no harm has come to dolphins? The quick answer to that question is ‘no’. If you buy fish with a ‘sustainably caught’ or ‘dolphin safe’ eco-label, unless caught with a pole and line, you have no way of knowing whether dolphins, porpoises or whales suffered and died in the process…
Read MoreWhy are beaked whales stranding on Irish and Scottish coasts – again?
UPDATE on 7/9/2018: Since early August, a minimum of 38 Cuvier’s beaked whales have stranded, dead, on the coasts of west Scotland. At least 19 have stranded on the Irish coastline. We are very pleased that the UK and Irish governments have agreed to conduct an investigation. A further 3 Cuvier’s beaked whales and 9 nothern…
Read MoreNew season looking out for Risso's dolphins
I was on an early morning beach dog walk on Monday, our first day back on the Isle of Lewis this year when I saw a fin slice out of the water in the quiet, still bay in front of our accommodation. I held my breath. Not just any fin, but a Risso’s dolphin! We…
Read MoreWDC helping to shape the future for UK dolphins and porpoises
Last week, WDC took part in a two day workshop to help shape a “UK Dolphin and Porpoise Conservation Strategy”. We hope the strategy, once finalised will help to protect these species from bycatch, disturbance, pollution, noise and other pressures, individually as well as collectively. We warmly welcome this initiative, which has developed from an…
Read MoreWDC joins experts at Zoological Society to try to prevent whale and dolphin deaths in fishing gear
Accidental entanglement in fishing gear (bycatch) is the biggest killer of dolphins, porpoises and whales. On Tuesday evening I joined about 150 supporters and fellows of the Zoological Society of London at an evening event looking at this massive problem. It was presented by the manager of the UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme, Rob Deaville.…
Read MoreEuropean Parliament passes up opportunity to improve dolphin and porpoise protection
The whole of the European Parliament (751 MEPs) voted yesterday on new conservation measures for fisheries in EU waters. This included rules covering the accidental entanglement (or ‘bycatch’) of dolphins and porpoises. I’d like to say a massive ‘thank you’ if you took part in our action last week and emailed your MEPs to ask…
Read MoreOpportunity lost in EU Ministers bycatch vote
On Tuesday there was an important vote in the European Parliament Fisheries Committee about fisheries conservation measures including future bycatch measures for dolphins, porpoises and whales. Here is a summary of what happened in the vote on bycatch. The existing (inadequate) rules for monitoring and mitigating dolphin and porpoise bycatch remain intact for now and…
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