… and it’s in trouble. The use of static nets is to blame. Now locally becoming an imperilled species, the Harbour porpoise can be seen regularly around Argyll waters and much of the Scottish coastline.

They are the smallest member of the family which includes dolphins and whales, collectively known as Cetaceans. They are a similar size to ourselves and like us, they breathe air. These intelligent animals look similar to dolphins and echo-locate for their food and location. Despite being protected by a range of treaties and legislation, porpoise around our coast may be in peril and may even be subject to local extinctions.

Static nets and ‘ghost fishing’

Porpoise are known to suffer from toxic substances at sea, marine debris, disease, and noise disturbance. There is well-documented evidence from scientific observer research on fishing boats to show that static nets, deployed on the seabed, are an acute threat facing the porpoise, entangling and killing up to 10,000 porpoise each year around Britain.

Static nets also drown seals, seabirds and dolphins (107 grey seals were recorded as killed in two months in the Barra and Uist crawfish tangle net fishery and one local Oban fishermen has admitted killing 200 seals in one season).

These nets are virtually invisible both visually and to echo location. Drowning, for diving mammals, is not a quick process as some of the injuries have indicated on those animals recovered as by-catch in nets. The nets cut in to  the animals flesh, they tighten progressively as the animals struggle to break free. Death could take more than half an hour. The picture above shows an adult porpoise and calf together in a net that was washed ashore.

The figure given of 10,000 dead by-catch porpoise does not account for porpoise killed in lost or discarded nets which continue to ‘ghost fish’. These nets do not degrade for many years, and continue to kill as they drift around our coasts. They can also do incredible damage to vulnerable habitats as they are dragged over these areas depleting the seas of wildlife.

Scotland has  not met its legal obligations

Porpoise are, in theory, highly protected under Scottish and UK law, European Directives and a number of international obligations and commitments. The problem is that these measures have not been effective at protecting them.

It is illegal recklessly to kill porpoise. It is also illegal to kill them in nets which are non-selective according to their ‘principle or their conditions of use’.

There is no exemption from these laws for nets deployed within the Six Mile Fishery Limits.

There is also a legal obligation on government agencies to monitor the fishery and take measures to ensure that by-catch in these nets does not have a significant negative effect on porpoise populations.

In the studies referenced at the foot of this article, the number of porpoise killed in the nets did show a significant negative impact on the population. This could have grave implications for the local porpoise, as the female porpoise may well form local populations and locally do not appear to travel into other regions. If they are killed, the species would not rapidly regenerate in an area.

Under the European Commission’s Habitats Directive, the Government should have designated Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) to protect porpoise. The Directive was signed up to in 1992. The deadline for designating SACs for porpoise has passed. This duty has still not been complied with.

For the past year it has been illegal for anybody to use these nets anywhere on the West Coast of Scotland. The ban was put in place to protect cod.

The Firth of Lorn success and the need to curb west coast Crawfish netting

Within the Firth of Lorn Special Area of Conservation there had been, since 2003,  a gentleman’s agreement between local users and fishermen in place to the effect that that nobody would use static nets. The SAC now has a good population of porpoise which supports a number of wildlife tourism boats, bringing wealth to the area and supporting employment.

On the West Coast, the nets are mainly used to catch an increasingly rare species, Crawfish (also known as Spiny lobster). Because of concerns about the population of Crawfish, they are, like porpoise, listed in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan.

It does not seem logical to re-open a fishery for a rare species, risking the depletion of the spawning stock to the point of commercial extinction.

Nobody’s livelihood currently depends on the fishery. In contrast, however, the jobs and wealth created by wildlife tourism operations could well be damaged if this method of fishery is opened and porpoises are to be killed again by this indiscriminate netting method.

Call for Scottish Government to press for the continued closure of the whale fishery that endangers porpoise

Britain is opposed to the commercial killing of whales. It is perhaps surprising that at the recent Common Fisheries Policy meeting in Brussels, the fisheries interests within Scottish Government were minded to lobby for the reopening of the fishery, which would in turn jeopardise the porpoise population.

The reprieve for porpoise is for one year only. It is to be hoped that people will contact their MSP’s and that the views of those within Scottish Government who value the long-term sustainability of Scottish wildlife will be listened to and that when this issue comes up for review, Scottish Government will call for the closure to be made permanent.

Mark Carter, Environment Editor and David Ainsley of Sea-Life Adventures

The photograph above of the dead porpoise and calf, is by copyright holder, Paul Kay

Bibliography

Websites:

• JNCC Advisor to government; Dogger Bank Draft SAC: http://www.jncc.gov.uk/page-4537
• Details of the Biodiverstiy Action Plans: http://www.ukbap-reporting.org.uk
• Porpoise facts: http://www.arkive.org/harbour-porpoise/phocoena-phocoena/info.html

Current status:

• There is some evidence of a decline: http://www.ukbap.org.uk/ukplans.aspx?ID=514#1
• Marine Connection’s report on By-catch: http://www.marineconnection.org/docs/Marine%20Bill_Bycatch_May06.pdf
• UK’s legal position: (34.) The UK Government is legally obliged to deal with the problem of small cetacean by-catch: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200304/cmselect/cmenvfru/88/8807.htm
• DEFRA Report: Caught in the net: by-catch of dolphins and porpoises off the UK coast, Third Report of Session 2003–04: http://www.eurocbc.org/Caught%20in%20the%20net%20bycatch%20of%20dolphins%20and%20porpoises%20off%20the%20UK%20coast_88.pdf
• The Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si199/uksi_19942716_en_1.htm
• The Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Amendment (Scotland) Regulations 2007: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/legislation/scotland/ssi2007/ssi_20070080_en_1

Scientific Papers

• Walton, M. 1997. Population structure of harbour porpoises Phocoena phocoena in the seas around the UK and adjacnet waters. The Royal Society, London. 264. 89-94.
• Tolley, K et. al. (Date N/K)Genetic population structure of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) in the North Sea and Norwegian waters. J. Cetacean Res. Mange. 1(3):265-274.
• Vinther M. 1995 Incidental catch of harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) in the Danish North Sea gill-net fisheries: preliminary results. Proceedings of the Scientific Symposium on the North Sea Quality Status Report, Ebeltoft, Denmark 1994.
• Treganza NJC, Berrow SD, Leaper R & Hammond PS in press. Harbour porpoise bycatch in set gill nets in the Celtic Sea.
• Kinze CC 1991. Incidental catches of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) in Danish waters 1986-89: Recent data and behavioural implications. Paper SC/090/G57 presented at the IWC workshop on the mortality of cetaceans in passive fishing nets and traps.
• Northridge SP 1988 Marine mammals and fisheries: a study of conflicts with fishing gear in British Waters. A report commissioned by Wildlife Link’s Seals Group.
• Ross & Isaac 2004. The Net Effect. WDCS Report for Greenpeace.

Related Posts

• Shaming Government dereliction of duty on pregnant seals (1)
• Marine & Coastal Access Act a black day for marine environment (1)
• LEAF springs into life as an umbrella (0)
• Updated information on EC fishing decisions (0)
• Seil Natural History Group looks at fishing in deep water as scallop dredger tragedy highlights environmental damage (4)

---

The Latest News from ForArgyll delivered via email, weekly or daily. You know it makes sense!

---

Comments (rss) | Respond | Ping | | Print This Post