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Fishing banned in the Bay of Biscay: were there fewer dolphin casualties during the one-month break?
In the Bay of Biscay, fishermen will be able to return to sea from midnight on the evening of Tuesday February 20, after a month of fishing ban in order to protect dolphins, which can be trapped in their nets. Has this respite led to fewer deaths among cetaceans? – (France 2)
In the Bay of Biscay, fishermen will be able to return to sea from midnight on the evening of Tuesday February 20, after a month of fishing ban in order to protect dolphins, which can be trapped in their nets. Has this respite led to fewer deaths among cetaceans?
In the waters of the Bay of Biscay, dolphins hunted more freely. For a month there were no more fishing nets, in which they could be trapped. The boats remained in port. So, were there fewer victims? In La Rochelle (Charente-Maritime), the results seem positive. Scientists are autopsying cetaceans stranded on beaches, and have not yet had a single animal die from capture since fishing was closed. Before this respite, 60 to 70% of the dolphins autopsied had died due to fishing. Every year, up to 9,000 dolphins die, trapped in the Bay of Biscay.
The ban must be renewed in 2025
The sharp increase in deaths since 2016 questions scientists. “Could it be slightly different gear (…) which could increase the risk of capture?” questions Hélène Peltier, research engineer at the Pelagis observatory. Furthermore, the dolphins changed their behavior as they got closer to the coast. The one-month fishing ban is to be renewed in 2025.
Among our sources
Ifremer
Pelagis Observatory
ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea)
2023 report from the French Biodiversity Office
Non-exhaustive list
