Marine Mammal Bycatch: Your Reporting Matters

Since 2021, vessel owners and masters have been required, as a condition of their fishing licence, to report incidents where fishing activities have caused or contributed to marine mammal injury, mortality or bycatch.

Reports must be submitted within 48 hours of the end of the fishing trip where the incident occurred.

Marine mammals are a familiar sight around our coast, and we know that fishermen value marine wildlife and enjoy the opportunity to see them while working at sea. We recognise that interactions with marine mammals can occur unintentionally during lawful fishing activity and that fishermen may have concerns about the implications of reporting them.

That’s why we want to be very clear: an accidental interaction during lawful fishing activity that results in marine mammal injury, mortality, or bycatch is not an offence.

It is the failure to report an interaction that may lead to enforcement action.

You can report a marine mammal injury, mortality or bycatch incident in 2 ways.

Alternatively, print a hard copy of the Excel reporting template and submit it via post to:

MMO Statistics,
Tyneside House,
Skinnerburn Rd,
Newcastle upon Tyne,
Tyne & Wear,
NE4 7AR,
United Kingdom.

You must submit your report within 48 hours of the end of the fishing trip where the incident occurred.