Accidental bycatch in fishing gear is the biggest single threat to marine mammals and has been described as “one of the grossest abuses of wild animal sensibility in the modern world”. While the Bycatch Mitigation Initiative and Clean Catch programmes have made some progress on this issue, efforts to tackle bycatch need to be stepped up. This must be done in close consultation with scientists, NGOs 30 Protecting Marine Mammals in the UK and Abroad and the fishing industry, who must be supported to take part in appropriate trials, including via financial incentives where necessary. We recommend that Defra and the devolved administrations work together to produce a UK-wide action plan with SMART targets to significantly bring down bycatch numbers. These targets should be developed in consultation with scientists, NGOs and the fishing industry and include consideration of risk factors such as location, gear type and species. Action should begin in the high-risk fleets cited by our witnesses as soon as practicable, and at the very latest be in place by June 2024. (Paragraph 51) The UK on the International Stage