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The idea for this Cetacean Bycatch Resource Center grew
out of an international workshop organized by WWF (World Wildlife Fund) in
January 2002 in Annapolis, MD. This workshop brought together 25 leading experts
from six continents to develop a global strategy to address cetacean
bycatch (participant
list). This workshop resulted in a Call to Action for reducing
cetacean bycatch, a draft strategy for bycatch mitigation and the
creation of this virtual resource center.
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While considerable progress has been made over the last decade in
stemming bycatch problems in certain fisheries, advances in reducing
cetacean mortality in fisheries have remained relatively localized and
therefore have had limited impact on the problem worldwide. Transferring
the lessons learned in places where bycatch mitigation approaches have
been successful or promising - and even where they have failed - is an
important step toward reducing cetacean bycatch on a global scale.
By compiling the existing information about successes
and lessons learned and making it publicly available, this web site aims
to assist in helping fishermen, scientists, environmentalists and the
public work together to address cetacean bycatch.
The Cetacean Bycatch Resource Center (still under construction) will
serve as a clearinghouse for information, statistics, news, inquiries,
scientific papers, technological advances, and the latest developments
in cetacean bycatch mitigation. It is also the "virtual
headquarters" of the Cetacean Bycatch Task Force, an
international network comprised of leading authorities on bycatch
mitigation who can be contacted for assistance through this Web site.
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