High-risk areas for endangered, threatened and protected (ETP) by-catch in UK seafood supply chains are the focus of a new report from WWF, with the environmental charity also evaluating the effectiveness, costs and benefits of mitigation measures.
The report, “Not in the Net”, calls for urgent action to eliminate ETP by-catch from the UK’s seafood supply chains, including greater collaboration between retailers, suppliers, policymakers and the finance sector to scale up innovative measures to significantly reduce by-catch and protect marine life.
According to WWF, technical innovations including acoustic devices, net lights and ropeless buoys can significantly reduce by-catch, but as well as implementing ETP mitigation measures, verifying their use and effectiveness, using remote electronic monitoring (REM) systems are crucial to ensure they are having an impact, and to provide assurances to supply chains.
It also notes the economic consequences of by-catch are significant for fishers, not least gear damage, operational inefficiencies, and restricted market access as buyers and policymakers increasingly require evidence of sustainable fishing practices.
Not in the Net states that the most successful innovations have involved collaboration between seafood supply chain players, fishers, regulators and scientists, allowing for rapid and adaptive iteration of mitigation measures. It suggests that by adopting these practices, retailers can help to secure the long-term viability of fisheries, position themselves as leaders, demonstrate their commitment to responsible sourcing, strengthen consumer trust, and also enhancing their public profile.
Among the innovations evaluated in the report are:
- Acoustic devices and net lights: Acoustic deterrents or “pingers” reduce harbour porpoise by-catch by 70-100% in trials, while green LED lights have shown a 60-80% reduction in turtle by-catch
- Hook-shielding devices: Prevent seabirds from accessing baited hooks on longlines until these are beyond the birds’ diving depth, with Hookpods, which open to release the hook past a certain depth, showing a 95% reduction in seabird by-catch risk
- Longline sensory devices: SharkGuard emits electrical pulses to deter sharks, has a 91% reduction in blue shark by-catch and 71% reduction in pelagic stingray
- TrawlFlomo: Uses high-strength composite fabric with holes instead of traditional mesh, cod-ends and lengtheners in trawl nets, facilitating the escape of undersized fish at capture depth
- Smart trawl: Uses a patented gate system and AI to identify and release non-target species before they enter the net
- Pot line innovations: Sinking rope which prevents loops of rope at the seabed, reducing risks of entanglement in groundlines, smart buoys which can send information on a change in movement which may indicate an entanglement, and mechanisms like acoustic release devices and a float bag to bring pots or traps to the surface
- Innovations in fish aggregating device (FAD) technology: deployed by tuna vessels present entanglement risks to a range of species including elasmobranchs and turtles. Jelly-FADs are designed to be non-entangling and biodegradable to reduce this risk and to prevent ghost fishing and habitat impacts
- REM systems: Crucial for verifying bycatch measures, providing accurate, independent and continuous data on fishing activities, ensuring compliance and enabling the evaluation of by-catch mitigation efforts
Despite the potential benefits of these mitigation measures, barriers to their implementation persist, including a lack of monitoring, limited access to finance and slow regulatory processes, WWF said. The report therefore argues that stakeholders should work towards four strategic goals:
- Strengthen policies to eliminate ETP by-catch in the UK’s seafood production and supply chains
- Incentivise trials and adoption of innovative ETP by-catch mitigation on fishing vessels
- Improve data collection on ETP by-catch and the verification of use of mitigation measures
- Enhance research on and understanding of ETP interactions to further improve mitigation measures
WWF Head of Food Transformation Sophie Bauer said: “Protecting our oceans is vital to our fight against the destruction of nature, and with innovative solutions available we have a technological edge that can help preserve at risk species. However, widespread adoption is essential if we are to counter this critical threat. This must be a partnership. Retailers must implement effective by-catch mitigation techniques within supply chains, policymakers must enforce stricter regulations and stronger trade and fisheries policies, and fisheries must continue to trial innovative new mitigation measures.
“By fully embracing these strategies and technologies, we can dramatically reduce bycatch and ensure a sustainable future for our fragile marine ecosystem,” she added.
M&S Head of Sustainability Lucinda Langton commented: “By-catch is one of the biggest environmental threats facing our oceans today, but exciting innovations are emerging to tackle it head-on. Through our partnership with WWF, M&S is proud to be embedding cutting-edge mitigation measures into the M&S seafood supply chain, helping to protect endangered, threatened, and protected species. To drive lasting change, it will need the catching sector, supply chain and government policy which supports the adoption of these innovations.”
The Not in the Net report was independently produced by WWF, with funding from the partnership with M&S. It follows the “WWF Risky Seafood Business” report, which argued government must strengthen regulations tackling illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and set core environmental standards for seafood imports.
