Entanglement in fishing gear
The entanglement of marine mammals, typically considered a type of bycatch, occurs when fishing gear (eg. ropes, buoys, nets, fish aggregating devices) and marine debris become wrapped around the animal, weighing it down or hampering its movement – often leading to the animal’s death, or serious welfare issues. Small cetaceans can also become entangled in fishing gear such as in gillnets or purse seines, which often leads to the animal drowning. Entanglements have an impact on all marine life and especially mammals.Entanglement can cause drowning, direct injury from ropes and cables, fatigue and starvation. Some species are more vulnerable than others due to morphology, life history and migration patterns. Research suggests that over 300,000 cetaceans die annually from entanglement in fishing gear, although this should be considered extremely conservative, as most entanglements are not observed and/or reported [3]. Pinnipeds are particularly vulnerable to entanglement in marine debris, while dolphins and porpoise may become entangled in fishing nets, debris and aquaculture activities.
