HC Deb 10 April 2002 vol 383 cc298-300W
Norman Baker

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will estimate the number of cetaceans stranded on the UK shorelines by species in each of the last 12 months; what percentage of those post mortemed were recorded as bycatch deaths; and if she will make a statement. [48001]

Mr. Morley

Data on the cetaceans reported as stranding in the period January 2001 to December 2001 on a quarterly basis is contained in the table. Figures for the UK for the first three months of 2002 are not yet available, but for England and Wales, during the month of January 994 cetaceans were reported as stranded. Post mortems were carried out on 34 of these cetaceans, 79 per cent. of which were bycaught.

January-March 2001
Species Stranded Post mortemed Percentage bycaught1
Minke Whale 0 0 0
Sei Whale 0 0 0
Humpback Whale 1 1 0
Common Dolphin 57 22 82
Striped Dolphin 3 3 100
Risso's Dolphin 1 1 0
White-sided Dolphin 0 0 0
White-beaked Dolphin 8 0 0
Bottlenose Dolphin 0 0 0
Unidentified Dolphin 16 1 0
Long-finned Pilot Whale 3 0 0
Killer Whale 0 0 0
Harbour Porpoise 50 27 22
Northern Bottlenose Whale 0 0 0
Sowerby's Beaked Whale 0 0 0
Great Sperm Whale 1 0 0
Unidentified Cetacean 14 0 0

April-June 2001
Species Stranded Post mortemed Percentage bycaught1
Minke Whale 5 2 0
Sei Whale 0 0 0
Humpback Whale 0 0 0
Common Dolphin 16 2 50
Striped Dolphin 2 2 0
Risso's Dolphin 1 1 0
White-sided Dolphin 1 1 0
White-beaked Dolphin 0 0 0
Bottlenose Dolphin 3 2 0
Unidentified Dolphin 9 0 0
Long-finned Pilot Whale 4 1 0
Killer Whale 0 0 0
Harbour Porpoise 70 31 3
Northern Bottlenose Whale 0 0 0
Sowerby's Beaked Whale 1 1 0
Great Sperm Whale 2 0 0
Unidentified Cetacean 6 0 0

July-September 2001
Species Stranded Post mortemed Percentage bycaught1
Minke Whale 4 0 0
Sei Whale 1 0 0
Humpback Whale 1 0 0
Common Dolphin 11 1 0
Striped Dolphin 6 5 0
Risso's Dolphin 3 1 0
White-sided Dolphin 3 3 0
White-beaked Dolphin 3 2 0
Bottlenose Dolphin 3 1 0
Unidentified Dolphin 9 0 0
Long-tinned Pilot Whale 6 0 0
Killer Whale 0 0 0
Harbour Porpoise 90 38 13
Northern Bottlenose Whale 1 1 0
Sowerby's Beaked Whale 2 1 0
Great Sperm Whale 1 0 0
Unidentified Cetacean 8 0 0

October-December 2001
Species Stranded Post mortemed Percentage bycaught1
Minke Whale 4 0 0
Sei Whale 0 0 0
Humpback Whale 0 0 0
Common Dolphin 15 9 1
Striped Dolphin 1 1 0
Risso's Dolphin 1 0 0
White-sided Dolphin 0 0 0
White-beaked Dolphin 2 2 0
Bottlenose Dolphin 3 0 0
Unidentified Dolphin 13 0 0
Long-finned Pilot Whale 12 2 0
Killer Whale 1 1 0
Harbour Porpoise 45 19 16
Northern Bottlenose Whale 1 0 0
Sowerby's Beaked Whale 0 0 0
Great Sperm Whale 2 0 0
Unidentified Cetacean 2 0 0

Total 2001
Species Stranded Post mortemed Percentage bycaught1
Minke Whale 13 2 0
Sei Whale 1 0 0
Humpback Whale 2 1 0
Common Dolphin 99 34 59
Striped Dolphin 12 11 27
Risso's Dolphin 6 3 0
White-sided Dolphin 4 4 0
White-beaked Dolphin 13 4 0
Bottlenose Dolphin 9 3 0
Unidentified Dolphin 47 1 0
Long-finned Pilot Whale 25 3 0
Killer Whale 1 1 0
Harbour Porpoise 255 115 14
Northern Bottlenose Whale 2 1 0
Sowerby's Beaked Whale 3 2 0
Great Sperm Whale 6 0 0
Unidentified Cetacean 30 0 0
1Of those animals subject to PM

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