: Under Pressure: The need to protect whales and dolphins in European waters

Abstract

isheries4■Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing should be stopped immediately through the application of appropriate monitoring, enforcement and sanctions.■Spatial and temporal time-area closures are needed to avoid large-scale bycatch. Fishing gear known to cause significant cetacean mortality should be banned. ■In general, methods to reduce or avoid bycatch should primarily target the fisheries involved, rather than be technical fixes that cause collateral damage to marine life including cetaceans (e.g. through the use of harassment devices that may result in displacement from key habitat, hearing impairment, reduced food intake, social disruption and other problems).■Fishing gear known to damage marine habitats, thus hampering an ecosystem‘s potential to support healthy populations of marine predators including cetaceans, should be banned. ■Overall fishing effort must be reduced, with the ultimate aim of preserving diverse and resilient ecosy