Warning sounds to spare porpoises in the Baltic Sea

Professional fishermen can now apply for support to buy so-called pingers for fishing nets to scare away porpoises that risk getting caught in the nets by mistake, writes the Swedish Board of Agriculture.

“By equipping their nets with pingers, Swedish fishermen are helping to protect the endangered Baltic tuna. At the same time, fishing can continue in the areas where porpoises are found, so that we can have more Swedish-caught fish on the table,” says Andreas Mattisson, Deputy Head of Department at the Swedish Board of Agriculture, in the press release.

Pingers are electronic devices attached to the nets that emit sound signals to which the porpoises respond. Only professional fishermen fishing in the offshore waters of South West Skåne, where the use of pingers is required, are eligible to apply for the aid until 30 April.

There are only about 500 of the critically endangered Baltic right whale, one of the world’s smallest whales. Fishing nets threaten the survival of the species.