Bycatch is the name given to any sealife that is caught up in the nets of fishing vessels while they are fishing for a particular species of fish.

Most of this bycatch is returned to the sea, but unfortunately most of this is dead by the time it reaches the water.

Clearly this is a major problem, but many people are not aware of the scale of this problem, so here are some bycatch facts and statistics:

• Fisherman who are trawling specifically for shrimp can discard up to 90% of what they actually catch.
• Bycatch sealife can include: sea birds, mammals, sharks, turtles, dolphins and many other species.
• Even some of the fish that are targeted to be caught are thrown back as they are not big enough for the catch.
• It is estimated that there is between 6.8 – 27 million tonnes of fresh fish that are being thrown back each and every year by fishing vessels. These are fish that could be eaten by people around the world.
• Around 100 millions sharks are caught each year, this figure includes rays.
• Fishing boats that use strip mining techniques are destroying the sea bed. They are killing the species that live there and catching them. This means that species such as starfish and spnges are being included in the bycatch.
• Shrimp catching boats are one of the worst offenders of strip mining and it is estimated that 80% of what they catch in their nets is not needed and considered bycatch.
• There are things that can be done to reduce this bycatch. However many of the fishing boats that are in use will not use them as they are considered to be too expensive to purchase.

These facts and figures on bycatch are very interesting and unfortunately very real and they show the harm that these practises are doing to the sea.