A review of cetacean bycatch in pelagic trawls and other fisheries in the north-east Atlantic
Publication date: January 2004
Summary
The term bycatch refers to the unintended mortality of non-target species in fisheries.The phenomenon is common and widespread, affecting an extremely wide range of species from marine mammals, sea birds and turtles to sharks and numerous other nontarget fish species. The scale of this mortality is such that bycatch may affect the structure and function of marine systems at the population, community and ecosystem levels. Indeed, bycatch is widely recognised as one of the most serious environmental impacts of modern commercial fisheries.
