Not in our nets! Premier League goalkeeper Ben Foster leads campaign to raise awareness of thousands of whales and dolphins needlessly dying in fishing nets each year
- Globally, hundreds of thousands of dolphins, porpoises and whales die in fishing nets each year
‘- Bycatch’ is the single biggest killer of dolphins and whales worldwide
- More than 1,000 per year die in UK waters alone - roughly one for every goal hitting the net in a Premier League season
- Watford FC’s Ben Foster is supporting a WDC campaign to raise awareness and ask ministers to do more to prevent these needless deaths
Watford FC and England goalkeeper, Ben Foster, is launching a campaign to raise public awareness of the issue of thousands of dolphins and whales dying in fishing nets each year. ‘Not in our nets’ is part of a wider campaign from global marine charity Whale and Dolphin Conservation, designed to highlight the issue (known as ‘bycatch’) and put pressure on fisheries ministers to prevent these needless deaths.
Ben Foster will show his support for ‘Not in our nets’ by using a specially designed and 100% sustainable towel during a number of Watford’s upcoming Premier League fixtures, beginning with the team’s trip to Anfield to play Liverpool on 2nd April. He has also recorded a special message for fans on his ‘The Cycling GK’ YouTube channel and has signed a number of the limited edition dolphin towels, which will be given away to fans to help promote the campaign.
Globally, hundreds of thousands of dolphins, porpoises and whales die in fishing nets every year. When caught in a fishing net or rope, dolphins and whales often can’t reach the surface to breathe, they panic and can sustain terrible injuries in their struggle to get free, often suffocating to death. It’s a horrific way to die.
Bycatch is the single biggest killer of dolphins and whales worldwide, with more than 1,000 dying in UK waters alone (roughly the same number as goals hitting the net in a Premier League season). The UK and devolved governments have a legal duty to prevent these deaths, but too little has been done for too long. We need a sense of urgency from ministers to set clear and ambitious goals to prevent bycatch and timelines for achieving these goals.
Explaining his support for the campaign, Ben Foster said:
“It’s my job to keep things out of nets – to make important saves. So I got involved with the Whale and Dolphin Conservation #NotInOurNets campaign to use my role in football as a platform for change, to help save whales and dolphins and keep them out of nets.
“Around 1,000 goals hit the back of the net in a Premier League season, and more than 1,000 dolphins and porpoises die in UK fishing nets every year. By putting pressure on our fisheries ministers, we can keep dolphins safe in UK seas. Follow @whalesorg, share their posts, use the hashtag #NotInOurNets and go to whales.org/notinournets to take action.”
If we save whales and dolphins, we stop the suffering, create a healthier ocean to help fight the climate crisis and ultimately save our planet.
Visit whales.org/notinournets to see how you can support the campaign and help to save thousands of whales and dolphins.