the Council of State calls for the closure of fishing areas to protect dolphins

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Video length: 2 min.

France 3

Article written by

S. Piard, M.-P. Samitier, France 3 Regions, R. Mathé, D. Chevalier – France 3

France Televisions

Since mid-December 2022, more than 900 dolphins have been found dead on beaches. The Council of State gives the government six months to close certain fishing areas in the Bay of Biscay. A victory for associations.

For weeks, dead dolphins have been washing up on the beaches of the Bay of Biscay. To protect them, the Council of State calls for a ban on fishing at certain times of the year. The fishermen did not take off. “We are witnessing the death of the profession“, laments David Lamourous, president of the Gironde Fisheries Committee.

Thousands of dolphin deaths per year

Between 5,000 and 10,000 cetacean deaths per year are thought to be due to fishing. “The most effective measures to reduce catches by 88% are closures of three months in winter and one month in summer. It is up to the State to pre-empt this measurement plan with the fishermen“, says Jérôme Graefe, lawyer at France Nature Environnement. 200 ships must be equipped with acoustic devices to keep dolphins away, an insufficient measure for the Council of State. The government has six months to take measures to reduce catches of cetaceans.


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