Clean Catch champions collaborative working to help monitor and minimise the bycatch of sensitive marine species in UK commercial fisheries, and to exchange knowledge globally.
We are working directly with fishermen in England to develop and test ways to address bycatch that are both effective in protecting sensitive marine species and practical to use during fishing operations. We also act as an engine for knowledge exchange on bycatch monitoring and mitigation within and beyond the UK.
We are funded by Defra in order to help the UK Government meet its ambitions to minimise and – where possible – eliminate bycatch of sensitive marine species, as set out in the ecosystem objective of the Fisheries Act and elaborated in the UK Marine Wildlife Bycatch Mitigation Initiative (BMI). Clean Catch was established in 2020 and is currently in its “expansion phase” which runs from 2024 to 2026.
We recognise the efforts that the fishing industry and others have already made to reduce the bycatch of sensitive marine species in the UK. Nevertheless the issue remains an urgent one, requiring the expertise and insights of fishermen, the wider seafood industry, scientists, NGOs, regulators, policymakers, and technology providers.
The challenge is complex, and solutions will be varied – but Clean Catch aims to collaboratively produce practical, evidence-based knowledge that is expected to contribute to policy and to implementation of bycatch mitigation measures in commercial fisheries across the UK.
Our work is happening at multiple scales. In the Southwest of England, we are working with fishermen to test measures to monitor and mitigate bycatch of small cetaceans, with the involvement of the Cornwall Local Focus Group which is formed of representatives from the region. We’ll begin a second trial with a fishery partner in 2025, establishing another Local Focus Group as part of this.
More widely, we are drawing on the advice and insights of a National Advisory Board – and expert working groups on an ad-hoc basis – formed of representatives hailing from around the UK and a variety of sectors and fields.
Clean Catch is led by a consortium team comprising Arribada Initiative, MMO Consulting, Cefas, ZSL, and Mindfully Wired. The programme is funded and overseen by Defra.
Explore the Bycatch Mitigation Hub to find possible measures to reduce bycatch