Cetacean Bycatch

Globally, an estimated 300,000 whales, dolphins and porpoises (cetaceans) are caught and killed as bycatch every year. Bycatch of cetaceans is considered to be the single most serious direct threat to cetacean populations. It occurs in all kinds of fishing operations, from large industrialised to localised artisanal fisheries, but set nets are known to be the principal threat.

THE PROBLEM

Bycatch is a leading threat to more than 80 ceteacean species including the North Atlantic right whale, Arabian Sea humpback whale and Vaquita porpoise in the Gulf of Mexico.   The harbour porpoise is also extremely vulnerable to bycatch, with one study in Norway showing that between 2006-2008 almost 7,000 harbour porpoises died each year in gillnets used for cod and monkfish.  

The prospects for these and many other cetaceans remain bleak, particularly for those populations in developing countries with extensive small-scale fishers. 

ACCOUSTIC DETERRENT DEVICE

Accoustic Deterrent Devices (ADDs), otherwise known as ‘pingers’ are attached to fishing nets to alert cetaceans to the presence of gear, deterring them and causing them to move away from the sound. With no alternative, pragmatic, affordable and scientifically proven alternative to bycatch mitigation in set net fisheries, pingers offer a tried and proven solution.

Fishtek Marine developed the Banana Pinger following close collaboration with the fishing industry and researchers as a more advanced, operationally practical and effective ADD. 

See Product

EVIDENCE BASE

There has been global research in the use and effectiveness of pingers for over 20 years. Trials have mostly focused on studying the numbers of animals caught in nets with and without pingers. Studies in Scandinavia show bycatch reductions of 97% for harbour porpoise and research in South America show impacts of 75% for Burmeister’s porpoise and 61% reduction for Franciscana dolphin. The use of Passive Accoustic Detectors such as Chelonia’s ‘C-POD’ allows researchers to more accurately count the number of individuals and their distance that they approach the net.

Paper	Location	Product/model used	Effect	Species	Gear Type
Pinger trials in Norwegian commercial fisheries confirm that pingers reduce harbour porpoise bycatch rates and demonstrate low level of pinger-associated negative impacts on day-to-day fishing operations. (Moan & Bjorg, 2021)	Norway	Fishtek Marine 50-120kHz Banana Pinger	97% bycatch reduction	Harbour porpoise (phocoena phocoena)	Gillnet
Effectiveness of pingers to reduce the bycatch of Franciscana (Pontoporia blainvillei) in the Uruguayan artisanal gillnet fishery . (Jimenez et al., 2021)	Río de la Plata & La Paloma, Uruguay	Fishtek Marine 50-120kHz Banana Pinger	61% bycatch reduction	Franciscana dolphin (pontoporia blainvillei)	Artisanal gillnets
Assessing the effectiveness of dolphin antipredation pingers to reduce the bycatch of Franciscana (Pontoporia blainvillei) in demersal pair trawl fishing . (Jimenez et al., 2021)	Río de la Plata, Argentina/Uruguay	Fishtek Marine 40kHz ADD	88% bycatch reduction	Franciscana dolphin (pontoporia blainvillei)	Trawl nets
Behavioural Responses of Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) to Two Acoustic Deterrent Devices in a Northern Feeding Ground off Iceland. (Basran et al., 2020)	Iceland	3kHz Pinger	Facilitated safe exit from net	Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)	Purse seine
Using pingers to reduce bycatch of small-cetaceans in Peru’s small-scale driftnet fishery. (Mangel et al., 2013)	Salaverry, Peru	10-12kHz Pinger	75% bycatch reduction 45% bycatch reduction 39% bycatch reduction 10% bycatch reduction	Burmeister dolphin (Phocoena spinipinnis) Common dolphin (delphinus spp.) Bottlenose dolphin (tursiops truncatus) Dusky dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obscurus)	Gillnet
Long-Term Effectiveness, Failure Rates, and “Dinner Bell” Properties of Acoustic Pingers in a Gillnet Fishery. (Caretta and Barlow, 2011)	Californian Coast, USA	10kHz pinger	50% bycatch reduction 100% bycatch reduction	Common dolphin (delphinus spp.) Beaked whale species	Drift nets
Effect of pingers on harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) bycatch in the US Northeast gillnet fishery. (Palka et al. 2008)	Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire & Maine coastline, USA	10kHz pinger	50-70% bycatch reduction	Harbour porpoise (phocoena phocoena)	Gillnet
Field experiments show that acoustic pingers reduce marine mammal bycatch in the California drift gill net fishery. (Barlow & Cameron, 2006)	Californian Coast, USA	10-12kHz Pinger	92% bycatch reduction 75% bycatch reduction 67% bycatch reduction	Short beaked common dolphin (delphinus delphis) Various cetaceans Various Pinnipeds	Drift net
Effects of adding sounds to cod traps on the probability of collisions by humpback whales. (Lien et al., 1992)	Newfoundland & Labrador coast, Canada	4kHz ‘Pinger’	94% bycatch reduction risk	Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)	Pots & Traps

Cetacean Bycatch

THE PROBLEM

WHAT ARE WE DOING?

ACCOUSTIC DETERRENT DEVICE

EVIDENCE BASE

EVIDENCE TABLE