Hundreds of dolphins and porpoises have washed up dead in recent months off the coast of southwestern France and French waters in the Bay of Biscay. This is a new episode (similar to the one that occurred in previous years at this time) of mortality attributed mainly to accidental capture of cetaceans in fishing nets, although there are also known cases of fishermen who intentionally kill dolphins and porpoises.
The difficult survival of dolphins and porpoises in these French Atlantic waters has been repeatedly denounced by scientists and conservation groups, but until now neither the fishermen nor the authorities have taken sufficient measures to tackle the problem.
The important news this week is that the French Council of State has issued a resolution ordering the French government to adopt measures such as the closure (prohibition) of fishing activities in the areas where the catches are taking place. accidents and death of dolphins and porpoises.
“Taking into consideration the complaint presented by three associations for the defense of the environment, the Council of State orders today [March 20] the Government to take measures, within a period of 6 months, to limit the accidental captures of small cetaceans by activities fishing in the Bay of Biscay [Golfe de Gascogne]”, indicates this organization in an official note.
“The measures adopted must make it possible to guarantee a favorable conservation status for the common dolphin, the bottlenose dolphin and the harbor porpoise, in accordance with the obligations derived from European fisheries law and the Habitats directive of 1992”, details the Council of State.
The Council of State points out that the number of deaths due to accidental capture attributable to fishing activities threatens the conservation of dolphins and porpoises in the Bay of Biscay: since 2018, each year the maximum limit that ensures a favorable conservation status in the Northeast Atlantic according to the different estimates available.
To date, the three species in question are in an unfavorable state of conservation, with the common dolphin and porpoise even facing serious danger of extinction, at least at a regional level.
The Council of State also confirms, based on available scientific knowledge, that providing fishing vessels with acoustic deterrent devices, already initiated or planned by the State, does not sufficiently reduce accidental catches.
Ester, an official body, considers, “in light of current scientific findings, that these dissuasive measures do not guarantee a favorable conservation status for small cetacean species in the Bay of Biscay and that it is necessary to take more effective measures by closing fishing in appropriate areas and for appropriate periods.
The Council of State notes at the same time that the current bycatch control system is still insufficient to know its scope with greater precision: it allows high levels of uncertainty to persist regarding the frequency and causes of cetacean bycatch. For this reason, the Council of State also orders that, within six months, additional measures be taken to allow a more precise estimate of the number of annual catches of small cetaceans, in particular, by continuing to reinforce the observation system.
Various experts and nature defense entities have expressed their satisfaction with the order of the Council of State. Particularly noteworthy is the positive reaction of Sea Shepherd France, the entity that has stood out the most in recent years in denouncing cetacean deaths due to fishing activities in this area of ??the Bay of Biscay.
