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As the winter holiday season approaches, reports of cetacean strandings on the beaches of Devon and Cornwall are already starting to flood in. In Cornwall alone this year, there have been 13 (reported) cetacean strandings in November and 18 so far in December. The majority of these have been common dolphins.
It is no coincidence that this is exactly the time of year when open-sea trawlers are busy working the English Channel and Celtic Sea areas.
Recorded strandings of cetaceans in Cornwall and Devon have risen increasingly since 1970. In this time, it has become evident that the majority of strandings are occurring in the winter months. From examining the post-mortem findings of stranded cetaceans in the past few years, the link with fishing nets is clear to see; fisheries bycatch is reported to account for 71% of all established causes of death for stranded common dolphins in England and Wales, between 1990 and 1999. Pelagic trawl related injuries include scratches from fish spines, beak injuries or damage to fins. Interactions with fishing gear can also cause other internal and external injuries, including bruising and muscular tearing. Many of the dolphin carcasses found in Cornwall over the past two months have had their beaks damaged and front teeth broken - a common injury caused by trawling operations.
To report strandings of dead cetaceans please notify:
England 0171 722 3333/ 020 7942 5155 (Paul Jepson)
Wales 01348 875000 (Rod Penrose)
Scotland 01463 243030 (Bob Reid)
Cornwall 01872 273939
Devon 01803 771092/ 0771 2587799 (Lindy Hingley)
Northern Ireland (08) 0232 665510 (Angela Ross)
Republic of Ireland +353 21 904053 (University of Cork)
Source document web posted on 22nd December 2003 at: WDCS
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