Immediately Applicable Solution Concept for Marine Mammal Protection in Germany

5. Immediate request for international support
As long as Germany does not have its own coordination center, support must be requested without delay from states that operate established rescue systems. This includes the immediate involvement of specialized international NGOs, whose expertise is essential to prevent misjudgments, delays, and avoidable deterioration. In this context, a framework authorization must be introduced, as already standard practice in disaster management and the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW). It enables the incident command to act independently within a clearly defined scope, without requiring separate approval for every individual measure.
6. Immediate first‑aid measures
Thermal imaging diagnostics allow rapid, contact‑free assessment of hypothermia, overheating, inflammation and stress reactions and are an international standard. They protect the animal and help responders assess risks realistically.
A safety zone is created by several boats anchored in a ring. Tarps stretched between them form a deep, secure water space with an open entrance that is closed once the animal enters.
Salinity is adjusted to support recovery. Guidelines define when an animal is ready to be escorted back to its habitat.
Uniform immediate measures prevent physiological damage: regular moistening of the skin, creating a drainage channel, stabilizing micro‑depressions, and using tarps, pontoons or flow‑guiding structures to relieve pressure. After returning the animal to deeper water, it must be guided into a controlled safety zone. A consistent reference person supports cooperative stabilization impulses. Stranding must be prevented if the animal is sighted early enough. Measures must be adapted to the stress level. Rescue takes priority unless blood diagnostics confirm the opposite. Shallow‑water stranding causes significant strain and exceeds the stress level of technical interventions.
7. Minimum standards for diagnostics and initial care
The Animal Welfare Act requires the prevention of suffering but does not define diagnostic minimum standards. These must be established nationwide. Reliable decisions require clear medical parameters to distinguish a dying animal from an exhausted one. As long as a marine mammal breathes, vocalizes or moves, it must not be classified as “dying.” Only blood diagnostics allow an objective assessment. Decisions must not be based solely on external appearance. If blood sampling is temporarily impossible due to deep mud, the animal’s movement radius must be checked regularly for stable ground until safe access is possible. Phases of reduced activity should be used for blood sampling.
8. Mandatory immediate reporting of lost nets
Without sanctions, but with documentation and immediate activation of divers to recover lost nets promptly.
All immediate measures require no legislative decision and can be implemented at once.
Structures to be established
Germany needs a state‑responsible rescue chain that defines clear procedures, responsibilities and decision‑making pathways from the moment of first sighting. This includes protected working areas, coordinated operational logic and reliable cooperation between the coast guard, authorities and expert institutions. Modern fishing technologies, monitoring and documentation of nets, mandatory reporting of net losses, recovery of ghost nets, training for fisheries, speed limits, route adjustments, acoustic warning systems and clear responsibilities for dynamic coastal zones must be regulated nationwide.
Goal
A complete concept provides a scientifically developed framework for a national strategy. It calls on the federal and state governments to work with expert authorities and science to build a modern, effective and internationally compatible rescue and prevention system and to implement the immediate measures without delay. Prevention is a human responsibility and reduces costly emergency operations. The protection of large marine mammals is a state duty and must not depend on chance or volunteer work. A scientifically developed 20‑page long version exists and is provided exclusively to government authorities upon request for review. Scientific institutions receive relevant sub‑concepts upon request.