Source · Select Committees · Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Recommendation 2
2
Accepted
Paragraph: 30
Marine mammal monitoring capacity remains inadequate for effective policy responses
Conclusion
Monitoring of marine mammals is difficult and costly. However, without sufficient monitoring data it is not possible to tailor a properly informed policy response to the challenges these animals face. It is therefore vital not only that support for monitoring programmes is increased but also that all opportunities are taken to make monitoring more efficient. We heard that increased use of technology and citizen science are two key ways in which to seek to achieve this.
Government Response Summary
The government stated that significant investment is already being made in technological solutions for marine mammal monitoring through existing programmes like Defra’s £40m marine Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment. They detailed ongoing efforts to increase monitoring frequency, expand bycatch mitigation, and develop innovative technologies, concluding that a further fund is unnecessary.
Paragraph Reference:
30
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
There is already significant investment from the UK Government in technological solutions to marine mammal monitoring, including through Defra’s £40m marine Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (mNCEA) programme. The programme includes investment in technology innovation, improved data collection and monitoring outcomes. Relevant projects include those developing autonomous vessels to remotely collect visual and acoustic data, bespoke AI software to identify cetacean vocalisations, environmental DNA (eDNA) analyses to identify marine species, and digital aerial surveys to generate population estimates. Year 1 of the programme also completed a marine mammal evidence review to identify potential future monitoring methods. Defra will continue to explore opportunities for the development and application of innovation in marine mammal monitoring, including through the mNCEA programme; as such, we do not consider it necessary to establish a further fund. Defra has also taken action to ramp up existing marine mammal monitoring. For example, by increasing the frequency of Small Cetacean Abundance in European Waters and the North Sea (SCANS) surveys from 10 years to 6 years, expanding the scope of existing bycatch mitigation and monitoring work through Clean Catch 2 (due to commence Autumn 2023), and securing a 10-year contract for the Cetacean Stranding Investigation Programme (CSIP). Security and stability in funding for long-term programmes ensures these programmes can gather the evidence required to deliver on assessment and reporting needs and drive forward long-term progress. Monitoring innovation is also being developed through the Defra-funded Insight360 (i360) research consortium, which aims to streamline electronic monitoring of bycatch through AI and voice recognition. Defra are also consulting on proposals to expand the use of remote electronic monitoring (REM) in English waters. The data collected using REM could include monitoring of marine mammals, but it will not be limited to this.