| Summary: | Poster.-- 9th World Fisheries Congress, 3-7 March 2024, Seattle, Washington, USA Testing and development of mitigation measures, as well as improve the scientific knowledge to reduce accidental catches of cetaceans during fishing activities, are the focus of recent fishing regulations and requests from the EU commission for taking “emergency measures to prevent the bycatch of cetaceans in the northeast Atlantic”. These emergency measures are particularly aimed at eliminating incidental catches of common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) in netters and trawlers operating in the Bay of Biscay. However, in purse seine fishing grounds, one of the primary challenges is to deal with the presence of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) during fishing operations. These interactions not only cause extensive damage to the nets, resulting in substantial financial losses, but also pose a threat to the well-being of these cetaceans. Several pilot test with acoustic deterrent devices have been carried out in the sardine purse seine fishery in the NW Spain. Pingers have been used to deter cetaceans from approaching or remaining in the launch area, both to avoid their predation in the net, and to minimize the risk of physical damage or capture. In our pilot tests, fishing operations have been conducted both with and without pingers to assess their effectiveness in preventing bycatch events and interactions between cetaceans and fishing nets. Several events have been documented in which cetaceans broke the nets while attempting to feed. Lessons learned and potential measures are proposed based on the opinions of fishermen collected in surveys and the work carried out by the researchers on board during the fishing trips Thanks to the General Directorate os Sustainable Fisheries (Ministry of Fisheries) for the support in the development of the study. This work was made within the MAP-COV-2-MERMACIFRA project funded by General Secretary of Fisheries under the NextGenerationEU No
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