Market Aspects of Marine Mammal Bycatch in Global Fisheries

Bycatch in global fisheries remains a significant threat for many marine mammals.  Numerous fishing fleet flag states have taken actions to directly address bycatch, through restrictions on gear (hook depth/type, mesh size, certain prohibitions) and fishery operations (time/area closures, depth and soak-time limits).  However, in countries where legislative mandates and/or technical or financial means are lacking, such measures are not being implemented.  Multilateral and unilateral efforts are underway to encourage more countries to address marine mammal bycatch injury and mortality, through conservation measures in regional fishery management organizations, capacity building programs, and more recently, market measures. The United States, which imports 85% of its seafood, is considering rulemaking that would require fleets exporting seafood to the U.S. to adopt marine mammal bycatchprograms comparable to U.S. standards.  Similarly, the European Union,  another significant import market for seafood, is addressing the sustainability of global fisheries as part of possible requirements for access to their market. Finally,  the importance of seafood labeling schemes in encouraging marine mammal bycatch measures should be part of the discussion of market measures as a tool for reducing marine mammal bycatch. This presentation addresses the effectiveness of these unilateral and multilateral measures and private sector programs in reducing global marine mammal bycatch.