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Aims
Aims
The goal of this project is to engage with the Scottish inshore fishing industry to better understand the incidence of marine animal entanglements in our waters, and to develop sustainable, proportional mitigation strategies for the benefit of those affected.
To achieve this, SEA aim to:
Raise awareness of marine animal entanglements amongst fishermen and other marine users.
Improve reporting rates of marine animal entanglements.
Provide a platform for fishermen to suggest solutions to this problem.
Provide opportunities for fishermen to become involved in entanglement research and disentanglement efforts through workshops, training courses and mitigation trials.
Assess the risk and impact of entanglements to marine animals at an individual and population level.
Better understand the socio-economic impact of marine animal entanglements on the Scottish fishing fleet.
What is entanglement?
What is entanglement?
Entanglement describes the unintentional capture or restraint of marine animals in materials of anthropogenic origin, typically rope, line or netting which become wrapped around the head, body and/or fins. This includes cases where animals are anchored by the entangling gear or are towing this (IWC 2010).
What types of gear might be involved in entanglement?
What types of gear might be involved in entanglement?
In Scotland, recorded entanglement cases have involved a range of species and gear types including ropes, netting and monofilament line from a variety of fishing sectors, as well as non-fishing related materials.
Risso's dolphin entangled in creel rope, NE Scotland 2024.
Anonymous
Minke whale entangled in trawl netting, Orkney 2019.
Image credit SMASS
Humpback whale entangled in fish farm ropes, Skye 2025.
Image credit Anthony Rigell
Sowerby's beaked whale entangled in twine, Gullane 2019.
Image credit Corinne Gordon
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