The government should not sign any new international trade deals unless they contain commitments to protect marine mammals such as dolphins and whales, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee says in a report published today.
committees.parliament.uk/publications/40588/documents/197985/default/
MP for Penrith and The Border, EFRA Committee Member and the only Veterinary Surgeon in the House of Commons Dr Neil Hudson triggered this Inquiry and played a crucial role in gathering evidence and compiling the report which seeks to conserve global sea life amid the largest biodiversity decline in human history.
Marine mammals are among the best-loved and most charismatic creatures on earth. They also play a key role in maintaining a healthy ecosystem through recycling nutrients in the seas. Yet they, too, are part of the threatened biosphere – including in our own country. It is thought that the last remaining coastal community of killer whales in the UK will disappear over the next generation because of a variety of threats.
Worldwide, the greatest threat to marine mammals is from ‘bycatch’ - or inadvertent trapping in fishing gear. A scientific paper suggests that over 650,000 marine mammals are killed in this way every year. As with all statistics on the issue, the true number is unclear. By their nature, many marine mammals swim deep and range far – hidden from the human eye.
Other threats include hunting for meat and body parts (such as walrus tusks). Hunting is still practised in various countries, including Norway, Iceland, Japan and the Faroe Islands.
Underwater noise – such as from offshore drilling – is another danger for animals which depend on their acute hearing more than any other sense. Marine mammals are also threatened by pollution, being hit by boats in busy shipping lanes, rising sea temperatures and disease.
The report recommended that the government should raise the issue of marine mammal welfare with countries which still engage in hunting at every opportunity. The UK’s ‘soft power’ should be used in this way wherever bilateral or multilateral talks take place, including at trade and fisheries negotiations, the report said.
The study also called for better monitoring of, and reporting on, bycatch – through the use of cameras or physical observers posted on ships. The Committee acknowledged that this would be difficult and costly for small fishing boat operators, so suggested this requirement be phased-in over several years, with smaller vessels being given more time and, where necessary, financial help to meet their obligations. The Committee called for an action plan on this, with targets and milestones, by December of this year.
The report said much of the story of marine mammals remains hidden deep in the oceans, and that more information was vital. It called for new solutions to monitor marine mammal populations such as the use of satellites, underwater microphones and artificial intelligence.
However, while some of the story is hidden, some is not - including a legal loophole which allows some marine mammal body parts to be transshipped through UK ports. The report called on the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to take urgent steps to close this loophole in the short term and introduce brand new legislation dedicated to protecting marine mammals in the long term.
Dr Neil Hudson, MP for Penrith and The Border, said:
"We need to stand up as a global beacon of biodiversity conservation best practice. I as a veterinary surgeon am passionate about animal health, both domestic and wild, and as such I triggered this major Inquiry on our Committee. From now on, we must demand the highest standards for our new trading partners in order to better protect dolphins, whales, walruses and all manner of marine mammals. We must exert international pressure on countries who still horrifically hunt marine mammals and use our diplomatic influence when we negotiate trade or fishing agreements with these countries.
"Global biodiversity is in crisis and as a vet I believe passionately that we must give a voice to the voiceless animals that inhabit our planet and protect them for generations to come."
The Chair of the Environment Food and Rural Affairs Committee, Sir Robert Goodwill MP, added:
“We are rightly appalled when magnificent whales or defenceless seals are deliberately slaughtered. We can and should do more to stop this as we sign new post-Brexit trade deals worldwide.
“But snarling these beautiful creatures in fishing gear wreaks a far greater toll. Starting with the biggest boats, then moving to the smallest – giving the small operators time to adjust – we must stop this industrial-scale killing. We owe it to our generations to come”
