Home / Environment / UK waters bleed marine life: Urgent action needed
UK waters bleed marine life: Urgent action needed
10 Jun
Summary
- Over 1,000 endangered Atlantic salmon perish annually.
- Fishing vessels catch 120 tonnes of protected sharks yearly.
- Seals and seabirds also suffer severe losses from fishing.
Marine wildlife in British waters faces a severe crisis due to fishing bycatch. Annually, over 1,000 endangered Atlantic salmon, approximately 120 tonnes of protected sharks, skates, and rays, and around 500 seals are caught.
Conservationists stress the urgent need for government intervention. They call for strong bycatch action plans, coupled with strict monitoring and enforcement, to prevent more species from nearing extinction. This crisis has persisted despite available solutions.
Meanwhile, a collaborative effort between fishers and conservationists has successfully reduced annual seabird deaths from about 700 to five or fewer by adopting new methods like heavier nets.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs acknowledged the issue, stating commitment to ocean health. They highlighted the Clean Catch program for collecting bycatch data and developing mitigation measures, along with a new Seabird Bycatch Action Plan for English waters.
