Some facts about dolphins, porpoises and fishing nets

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Here are a few truths that may make shocking reading. Dolphins and porpoises are being caught up in fishing nets around the United Kingdom, and in most cases they die.  The awful spectacle of dead dolphins on our shores will probably continue unless a lot more action is taken to prevent this from happening.

The death of these lovely creatures in drag nets is not only a conservation issue, but also a serious matter for the welfare of dolphins.  The trapped dolphins thrash around and panic in their struggle to get to the surface to breathe. It is common for them to suffer many broken teeth, their beaks, jaws and fins are torn in their furious attempt to break free from these drag nets.  Eventually they suffocate and die when they run out of air.

The bass trawl fishery has killed an estimated 67,500 common dolphins in the last 15 years.  They are trapped and killed in nets dragged at high speed through the English Channel and the Bay of Biscay during December, January, February and March.  Many hundreds more dolphins will probably die this winter, and Dolphin Care UK and The Wildlife Trusts believe that the only way forward is to completely ban this form of fishing until solutions or alternative measures have been fully trialed and researched.

So how you can Help Dolphin Care UK?  We urgently need your help in our campaign to stop dolphin deaths in fishing nets.

More dolphins, porpoises and whales die every year by getting tangled up in fishing gear than from any other threat.  Small whales, dolphins and porpoises are the most vulnerable because they generally aren't strong enough to break free and come to the surface to breathe.  For these smaller cetaceans, entanglement can cause death by drowning.

Your urgent help is needed to change fishing practices.  The cost of bycatch to the ocean ecosystems is immense, and those fisheries with substantial levels of bycatch are clearly neither acceptable nor sustainable.

Visit our site and help us put a stop to the deaths of our beautiful dolphins and porpoises.

By: Chris Lowes - Dolphin Care UK
www.dolphincareuk.org

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DSG

Uh,Vero CO2 is a completely harmless gas which we're all exhaling now. Carbon is what we're all MADE OF.

24/02/11 DSG

-24

DSG

Vero,humans need meat to survive. How do you think Australopithecus evolved into the modern human without protein? If it wasn't for the miracle of meat,we'd all be brittle-boned from a lack of protein!

24/02/11 DSG

-22

vero

humans do not need to eat dolphins, fish, whales, pigs, cows, or any animals or animal products--yes, we can get all our nutritional needs met from fruits, vegetables, nuts, cereals, etc.--i.e. go vegetarian or vegan. this would be the best choice for our own health and for the health of the planet. we all know that with 7 billion people on the planet--and climbing--what people eat impacts the planet enormously. it is a waste of water, for one thing, to eat meat. we have to stop eating fish because farmed fish require huge amounts of little fish. taking the little fish out of the ocean results in a starving ocean, where there is literally nothing to eat. the ocean produces about 40% of the earth's oxygen and also absorbs carbon dioxide. because the ocean is being depleted (all living beings taken out)--the phytoplankton, the basis of sea life, is also increasingly depleted. the ocean is absorbing so much carbon dioxide now that it is becoming acidic. this is leading to the death of coral reefs, breeding grounds. when humans have ki11ed the ocean, there will be no sealife to eat, no oxygen production, and no more carbon absorbed. the carbon will instead go into the atmosphere. we are always looking for life on other planets--but what about the life on this planet? what about trying to get to know and learn from the incredible species that share our planet with us? as far as intelligence--humans are the least intelligent species on the planet--the most destructive and the least able to learn. I am very amused to read comments from people questioning the intelligence of whales, dolphins, pigs, dogs, etc. when they are clearly not intelligent themselves.

24/02/11 vero

-8

A Student (yeah hard times atm

Does anyone have any statistics about the killing of dolphins in the UK or anywhere in the world. For example "in 2000 there were X amount of dolphins in the UK and now in 2010 there are only XX ammount"? Thank you. Why is everyone moaning/griping. Stop griping!

27/10/10 A Student (yeah hard times atm

-18

randoma

your all losers and paul you seem gay to me so that solves the problem.

03/03/10 randoma

-12

Paul

Sulky stanley, you could not be further from the truth, your comment is very random and contributes nothing to this topic, but nice try.

now to fix this statement......
" the person who posted the stupid comment about eating dolphins using the name "grumppyoldwoman" started it; you continued it by mistaking me for them"...........

I was not mistaking you for anyone, I was replying to grumppyoldwoman, the fact that I spelt the name correctly did not mean it was aimed at you as I had no idea that you existed. So I could not possibly mistake them for you.

please get it right.

14/09/09 Paul

-15

Anonymous

Paul, there are many parts of the world where people eat ants. They are an important source of protein in many cultures. In some places they also eat bees.However this has no relevance to protecting dolphins.

My point was that if we stopped eating fish or took more care to investigate how the fish that we do eat are sourced then we would be helping to protect dolphins.

12/09/09 Anonymous

-11

grumpyoldwoman

Paul, it isn't me trying to block others from using my name, it's the site adminisrators!

Also it was not me who brought the argument about my name to this topic; the person who posted the stupid comment about eating dolphins using the name "grumppyoldwoman" started it; you continued it by mistaking me for them and then becoming abusive when I pointed out your mistake!

I said they only did it to make trouble!!

So, if you wanted to make a point, maybe I will make a point by posting some rubbish using your name to see how you like it!

12/09/09 grumpyoldwoman

-9

sulky stanley

Paul, you sound very much like a spoilt child, I bet you are in your early twenties and you still live at home with your mother, Im right, arn"t i?

12/09/09 sulky stanley

-15

Paul

Grumpyoldwoman, there is no problem with the block, feel free to try and copy your name without logging in or use another pc. It's simply that there is a way round it that you have not thought of. And yes the posts of me using your name were infact me, I was making a point.

I understand you were here well before someone else, and even tho it matters to you, you should not bring that argument inside another topic (dolphins)

Anonymous, i'm sorry but I have never seen a pig in the same light as a dog or horse or any other intelligent animal but grumpyoldwoman is right in parts of the world they do eat them too.

Dolphins may not be as intelligent as humans sulky stanley but they sure are alot closer than pigs, and therefore seaworld should be safe a wee while longer yet, however have you noticed we also don't eat ants and bee's ? ?

Point made.

12/09/09 Paul

-1

sulky stanley

I do not think dolphins are as intelligent as humans. I mean who trains who down at seaworld?Ants and bees have very complex social structures as well.

12/09/09 sulky stanley

-14

grumpyoldwoman

Anonymous, all animals have some degree of intelligence; the question is where to draw the line. Pigs may be as intelligent as dogs, but dogs are acceptable eating in some parts of the world. I happen to like pigs very much, but also like eating them!

The problem with dolphins is that they may be as intelligent (or almost) as we humans and are certainly capable of feeling sorrow at the loss of a family member. They have a complex social structure; the only reason they do not use tools and make things like we do is that their limbs are not capable of that type of manipulation.

12/09/09 grumpyoldwoman

-14

Anonymous

If people want to be sure of protecting dolphins they could either stop eating fish or eat only line caught fish.

Paul, people DO eat intelligent animals. The intelligence of pigs is roughly equivalent to that of dogs.

12/09/09 Anonymous

-33

mary of gravesend

grumpyoldwoman, grumppyoldwoman, grumpppyoldwoman, This particular part of the site is to do with marine conservation. It seems apparent to a neutral observer that the "p" button on your keyboard is faulty.

11/09/09 mary of gravesend

0

grumpyoIdwoman

This is a site that requires no log in, no names are allocated and you can call yourself anything you want each time you post.

So learn from this, and stop thinking that because I spell grump old woman correctly it was not aimed at the person who posted last.

I did not know prior to your response that there were infact more than 1 grumpy old pain in the ass fighting over the same name.

So as I said already!!! Get over it.
~Paul

11/09/09 grumpyoIdwoman

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