The Animal Welfare Implications of Cetacean Deaths in Fisheries

Contents
1. Introduction ............................................................................................... page 5
2. The types of fisheries ................................................................................ page 6
3. Causes of bycatch ............................................................................ ........ page 7
4. Ways of reducing cetacean bycatch .......................................................... page 8
5. The welfare of bycaught cetaceans ........................................................... page 10
5.1. The process of capture in nets and other fishing gear .................... page 10
5.2. Physical injuries caused by capture in nets and other fishing gear ... page 11
5.3. Injuries recorded on small cetaceans bycaught in British waters ...... page 13
5.4. Asphyxiation as a cause of mortality for bycaught cetaceans ........... page 19
5.5. Other indirect causes of mortality for bycaught cetaceans ................ page 21
5.6. Duration of suffering for bycaught cetaceans .................................... page 22
5.7. Social implications of cetacean bycatch ............................................ page 24
5.8. Welfare conclusions .......................................................................... page 25
6. Animal welfare legislation relevant to cetacean bycatch ........................... page 26
6.1. International legislation ...................................................................... page 26
6.2. European legislation .......................................................................... page 26
6.3. Animal welfare policy relevant to cetacean bycatch .......................... page 27
6.4. Farm animal welfare and slaughter standards .................................. page 28
6.5. International standards for killing and restraining traps ..................... page 29
6.6. Legislative conclusions ...................................................................... page 31
7. General conclusions .................................................................................. page 33
8. Acknowledgements ................................................................................... page 33
9. References ................................................................................................ page 33
12. Appendix: Latin names of species referred to in text ................................ page 53
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