Dolphins, turtles and birds don’t have to die in fishing gear – skilled fishers can avoid it
- Written by Leslie Roberson, Postdoctoral research fellow, The University of Queensland
GettyIn 1987, a biologist went undercover on a commercial tuna fishing vessel. One video he took made headlines around the world: hundreds of dolphins encircled in purse seine nets, drowning in distress.
Before that, few people had given much thought to bycatch – the fish and marine animals caught when trying to catch something else. It was...

















