Entanglement in recreational fishing gear poses a threat to estuarine and coastal dolphins: Animal welfare and population level impacts should guide intervention decision making

Abstract

Derelict and active fishing gear poses a threat to marine wildlife. This study details Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin entanglements in recreational fishing gear in the Peel-Harvey Estuary, Western Australia between 2016 and 2022. Eight entanglements were recorded, three resulted in death. While concerning from an animal welfare perspective, the impact of entanglements on the viability of the local dolphin population was low. This is as majority of affected individuals were juvenile males. Should entanglements result in the loss of reproductive females, or impact their reproductive success, the population trajectory could quickly change. As such, management decision making should consider population level impacts as well as the welfare of entangled individuals. Government agencies, together with relevant stakeholders, should work together to maintain preparedness to respond to entanglements and take preventative action that lowers the risk of interactions with recreational fishing gear.