Campaigners are calling on food businesses to strengthen policies to eliminate bycatch in UK seafood supply chains after research revealed the severe threat posed to marine life.
Every year millions of endangered species, including whales, dolphins, turtles, seabirds and sharks, are caught as bycatch by fisheries and aquaculture around the world, including those supplying UK markets, according to a new report by WWF produced as part of its partnership with M&S.
This undermines global efforts to safeguard marine biodiversity, which has declined by 56% since 1970, and ensure the sustainability of seafood production, according to the environmental NGO.
Although regulators and the seafood industry have made efforts to reduce bycatch, the report said greater adoption of mitigation measures, removal of implementation barriers and stronger regulatory enforcement are all needed to properly protect our oceans.
WWF is calling on businesses, including food retailers and suppliers, to set mandatory requirements for use of endangered, threatened and protected (ETP) species mitigation measures in their sourcing policies. It also wants these measures to be included in the due diligence process for branded seafood products and for businesses to advocate for ETP mitigation measures in national and international fisheries and trade policies.
The catching sector, meanwhile, is being urged to trial innovative mitigation measures that have the potential to reduce bycatch on fishing vessels. These include acoustic devices and net lights, remote electronic monitoring (REM) systems, and the use of artificial intelligence to identify and release non-target species before they enter the net.
“This must be a partnership,” said Sophie Bauer, head of food transformation at WWF. “Retailers must implement effective bycatch 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.”
