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Whale and Dolphin Conservation

WDC

WDC, Whale and Dolphin Conservation is a leading global charity dedicated to the conservation and protection of whales and dolphins.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Eva Maria Carballeira Fernandez (Head of Unit Maritime Affairs and Fisheries) and ClientEarth AISBL and

15 Jul 2025 · Recommendations on how to address shortcomings in the ICES advice and requests

Response to The European Oceans Pact

13 Feb 2025

The key points that we believe should be addressed in the Oceans Pact to ensure we obtain healthy and resilient marine ecosystems and thriving coastal communities are: 1. Overarching Framework and Timeline for Political Initiatives: It is crucial that the EU Oceans Pact creates a clear, integrated framework and timeline for political initiatives that need to be improved and implemented in the coming years. The current efforts must be strengthened and complemented by new initiatives. Coherence across these initiatives is vital, and close coordination with other Directorates-General (DGs), the European Parliament Committees, and the Council of the European Union is essential for the success of the Pact. 2. Attention to Marine Issues in EP and Council: Marine concerns must receive sufficient attention within both the European Parliament and the Council. This can be achieved through dedicated forums and meetings that involve all relevant stakeholders, as well as securing appropriate funding for these efforts. 3. Ecosystem-Based and Precautionary Fisheries Management: The Pact should establish clear guidelines for ecosystem-based and precautionary limits on catch quotas and fishing methods, in line with scientific recommendations. This approach will ensure the long-term sustainability of marine ecosystems. 4. Elimination of Harmful Subsidies: Subsidies that are detrimental to the marine environment must be phased out as soon as possible. The timely reduction of harmful subsidies is crucial to align financial incentives with environmental sustainability. 5. Stronger Legal Regulations: The Pact should include stronger legislative measures in several key areas: o Ban destructive activities within all Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). o Ensure measures to reduce bycatch across all fisheries. o Increase transparency in the fisheries sector, particularly through improved monitoring and traceability of fishing effort and landings. o Implement measures to reduce underwater noise, including mandatory speed restrictions for ships in areas sensitive to marine mammals. 6. Enhanced Resources for Enforcement: The Pact must ensure adequate resources, both in terms of personnel and funding, to effectively identify violations and ensure the implementation of EU legislation. In conclusion, the EU Oceans Pact offers an important opportunity to make substantial progress in ocean governance. By addressing these points, we can ensure a more comprehensive, coordinated, and effective approach to protecting our marine environment.
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Response to Action plan to conserve fisheries resources and protect marine ecosystems

12 May 2021

WDC recommendations on the EU Action Plan to conserve fisheries resources and protect marine ecosystems WDC welcome this opportunity to provide feedback on the Commission’s roadmap to conserve fisheries resources and protect marine ecosystems. We fully support the joint NGO response provided by Oceana and we provide this additional response specifically on the issue of cetacean bycatch. Despite EU policies and legislation, cetacean bycatch remains a key issue for all fishing Member States, and the biggest threat to many species and populations. Increasing in public profile and concern, the EU has taken some steps to encourage a few Member States to improve their measures to minimise and, where possible, eliminate bycatch. We recognise the Commission identifies cetaceans specifically in its roadmap, which states that “the Action Plan will in particular: Identify actions needed to increase selectivity and reduce and where possible eliminate bycatch of sensitive species, focusing on those threatened with extinction and in unfavourable conservation status.” Much more remains to be done to tackle cetacean bycatch in all European ocean basins, and where European vessels fish elsewhere in the world. Habitats Directive and Common Fisheries Policy requirements are not being met or enforced and, in some cases, legal requirements of the United States Marine Mammal Protection Act Import Provisions Rule are not being met either. There are other international obligations which notoriously fail to reach their goals, such as the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) or the ASCOBANS agreement, among others. Population level impacts result from high levels of cetacean bycatch in all European ocean basins. A number of populations are at unfavourable conservation status - due to bycatch - including for critically Endangered Baltic Proper harbour porpoises and Bay of Biscay common dolphins, and also for Black Sea, Iberian and Celtic Sea harbour porpoises, Andalusian bottlenose dolphins, and undoubtedly other populations that are not adequately monitored to understand bycatch rates and other threats. To assist with implementation and compliance of existing bycatch legislation, the Action Plan should set out a process that will bind the EU to: - Eliminate bycatch of sensitive species through the implementation of annual targets to continually reduce bycatch levels. This should include the mandatory introduction of scientifically robust levels of independent monitoring, including remote electronic monitoring, clear guidance on mitigation measures for each sea basin evaluated by scientific bodies, and national action plans towards cetacean bycatch elimination; - Ensure timely and scientifically robust Joint Recommendation procedures are in place to tackle bycatch in each sea basin where the European fleet operates, to ensure Member States take robust bycatch prevention action; - Assess suitability of all fishing gear types in important habitats, including marine protected areas. Where a destructive gear type is proposed to be banned in some habitats (for example bottom trawling), all fishing gears need to be assessed for their suitability for operation in that area. Banning one gear type cannot lead to the unmanaged proliferation of another. If, for example, banning bottom trawling in an MPA leads to an increase in gill net use, sensitive species bycatch levels may be worse as a result; - Develop and implement alternative, non-destructive fishing gear, so as to transform European fisheries towards ecological sustainability and zero bycatch; - Enforce 6 yearly surveillance monitoring of cetacean populations throughout European waters, to ensure Habitat Directive requirements are met, to inform MSFD decision making and allow the calculation of accurate bycatch rates.
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Response to Revision of EU Programme for biological, environmental and socio-economic data collection in fisheries and aquaculture

15 Mar 2021

Response on fisheries data collection and cetacean bycatch Quality and quantity of data collected on the impact of fisheries on cetacean bycatch are poor. This hinders assessment of the reliable bycatch rates and as a result inadequate application of bycatch prevention and monitoring methods. ASCOBANS concluded in an REM workshop that the current DCF was not adequate for monitoring small cetacean bycatch, because most sampling effort (fleet, gear-type, area) under the DCF was currently targeted at fisheries (mainly demersal trawls) where small cetacean bycatch was not likely to be a major concern. In addition DCF sampling protocols were not designed to quantify the bycatch of large non-commercial species, and in particular those that sometimes fell out or were removed from the net outside the vessel. If monitoring bycatch of cetaceans was to be included in the DCF, these shortcomings needed to be addressed. REM techniques and other additional techniques could be a way forward in collecting cetacean bycatch data along with data on commercial catches. A robust cetacean bycatch monitoring programme that covers an adequate percentage of the fishing fleet is urgently required. Therefore, the Delegated Decision should include the following: All vessels fishing within and outside Union waters should be required to record all protected species bycatch electronically in logbooks. Therefore, electronic logbooks should include a dedicated field to record protected species bycatch (including cetaceans), including those released alive, in sufficient detail to allow for proper impact assessments and the calculation of bycatch rates. The information recorded in the electronic logbooks should include: species, number of individuals, time, date and location of occurrence, gear type, whether captured during setting, hauling and information about the individual (size, a picture, if the individual was released alive). Furthermore, the fishing effort per métier should be recorded to allow for the estimation of accurate bycatch rate per fishery. This should be done in meaningful units (e.g., net length combined with soaking time for static nets; number of hooks for longlines). Tracking of all vessels, including small-scale vessels should be implemented to understand the impact of fisheries on the marine environment. Data collected via logbooks need to be verified via supplementary, independent means of data collection. Therefore, independent observations need to be undertaken onboard of vessels in a representative manner to allow for robust estimates of bycatch rates. Either a trained, dedicated observer or Remote Electronic Monitoring Systems (REM), including CCTV, should be used for the collection of independent data. The cameras should be appropriately placed, including over the side of the vessels where the gear is hauled, to ensure the detection of individuals that fall out of the nets before they reach the deck. The data collection by observers and Remote Electronic Monitoring should cover a sufficient high percentage of fishing effort to ensure representative, reliable, and accurate data to ensure robust estimates of bycatch rates and impact on the marine environment. The required levels of coverage need to be adapted to the characteristics of the fisheries and especially cover all fleet segments and métiers where there is a risk of bycatch, or where there are insufficient data to assess the risk. STECF (2019) recommended 5-10% as a starting point. The data collection on marine biological resources and marine ecosystems should follow a standardised collection methodology adopted at the regional level, to ensure that the data are comparable and harmonised (e.g. http://www.fao.org/gfcm/data/vulnerablespecies). Furthermore, it is vital that the collected data are freely available and accessible for public use and that the data collection process is transparent.
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Meeting with Virginijus Sinkevičius (Commissioner) and

12 Feb 2021 · To discuss different blue/marine related issues, in particular bycatch emergency measures, EU-UK negotiations and implementation of the Biodiversity Strategy.

Response to Reducing marine litter: action on single use plastics and fishing gear

12 Jan 2018

WDC welcomes this initiative, as we believe that a concerted EU action to reduce the amount of marine litter is long overdue. Within this initiative, a commitment to develop strong regulatory measures to reduce or even eliminate single-use plastic items should be a clear priority for the European Commission. There are clear precedents already in place within the EU to move towards regulating single use plastic. Early implementation of Directive (EU) 2015/720 shows that reduction targets and bans on free distribution are extremely effective at reducing the use of light-weight carrier bags and, importantly, the measures have proven to be very popular with the public. The Commission should commit to replicating this successful model by further amending the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive for other single-use plastic items used as packaging. Our detailed feedback is provided in the attached file.
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