Bycatch of protected, endangered, and threatened species (PETS). Replacing advice provided in 2021

Please note: The present advice replaces the advice given in December 2021 for bycatch of protected, endangered, and threatened species.

ICES summarizes new bycatch information on marine mammals, seabirds, and marine turtles in 2019 and 2020, based on reported bycatch data received through an ICES data call. 

The available monitoring data for 2017–2020 are used to highlight species, métiers, and ecoregions where bycatch may be of particular concern. The average bycatch rate of marine mammals was 0.02 specimens per monitored day-at-sea. The highest bycatch rates were observed for the harbour porpoise Phocoena phocoena (0.23) in set gillnets in Icelandic Waters, for the common dolphin Delphinus delphis (0.19) in bottom pair trawl fisheries in the Bay of Biscay and Iberian Coast, and for grey seals Halichoerus grypus (0.19) in set gillnets in the Celtic Seas ecoregions. The average bycatch rate of seabirds was 0.05 with higher values being associated with nets and/or line fisheries and the highest bycatch rate (0.7) recorded for the northern fulmar Fulmarus glacialis in set longlines in the Greater North Sea ecoregion. Bycatch rates of sea turtles were high in line fisheries in several ecoregions, buthighest (0.11) for the loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta in bottom otter trawl fisheries in the Adriatic Sea.

ICES reiterates that monitoring sampling design does not yet allow for robust and unbiased estimations of numbers of sensitive species caught incidentally in fishing activities.