Fisheries-Cetacean By-Catch Project

The most serious threat to cetacean species is the harvesting practices of the fishing industry. In 2004, the project monitored cetacean by-catch by boarding fishing vessels and surveying landing sites. The survey team observed 954 fishing operations by 81 operators in five sites (i.e. Tañon Strait, Gingoog Bay, Butuan Bay, Babuyan Channel, Macajalar Bay). In one site, as much as thirty percent of fishing operations observed had by-catch incidents using ring nets. The studies will feed into the development of a national gear regulation system to conserve cetacean species. The project is supported by a grant from WWF-US.

To learn more about this project, please email jpalma@wwf.org.ph.