The head of state, who found the scenes of cetaceans stranded on the French coast “shocking”, also insisted on the need to “accompany” the fishermen.
President Emmanuel Macron estimated on Saturday February 25 that France should “improve (its) practices” to better protect the dolphins, whose strandings in the Bay of Biscay have multiplied. Friday, the public rapporteur of the Council of State spoke out in favor of the implementation within six months of closures limited in time and space of certain fisheries deemed responsible for the death of many cetaceans. Its opinions are generally followed by the highest French administrative court, whose decision is expected within three weeks.
“It’s a court decision, it must be respected”, reacted the Head of State, interviewed by online media VakitaSaturday, during his visit to the Salon de l’Agriculture. “We need to improve our practices”he admitted, judging that the scenes of dolphins stranded on the French coasts were “shocking”.
Emmanuel Macron nevertheless insisted on the need to“to accompany” fishermen who may be affected by the suspensions. “We will continue to improve our systems, to invest, and it will be very largely public money (…), to be able to stop practices that are dangerous and in any case better prevent them”continued the president. “It’s a problem that I take very seriously, I’m shocked, but I am while remaining very respectful of our fishermen” who should not “not be abandoned” neither “stigmatized”, said the head of state.
The LPO calls for “prohibiting murderous practices without delay”
These remarks were welcomed on Sunday by the League for the Protection of Birds (LPO), which has been warning for several weeks about the multiplication of strandings this year. “Finally! The President says he is ‘shocked’ by the captures”she congratulated herself, calling him to “immediately prohibit murderous practices”. The LPO, like the NGOs at the origin of the appeal to the Council of State – France nature environment, Sea Shepherd France and the association for the defense of aquatic environments – is calling for a three-month suspension of non-selective fishing in winter and one month in the summer.
According to the public observatory Pelagis, 395 small cetaceans were found dead on the French Atlantic coast from December 1 to February 15. Most (90%) are common dolphins, a protected species, and a “large majority” presented “traces of capture in fishing gear”. Until now, the French government has favored measures to document the phenomenon and technical solutions, such as on-board cameras or repellents on boats.