Bob Earll – There are some stories I miss. This is a little late but highlights both conservation threats to dolphins but also the failures of management with regard to the European bass fishery. The fisheries for bass which have led to draconian cuts in the recreational catch still seem to be damaging fisheries and wildlife with a blind eye from national and EU officials.

Wildlife & Countryside Link – February 8^th 2018 – Eight UK based marine campaigning charities, with ten of their EU counterparts, are urging the French, Spanish and Irish Governments to take urgent action to cut alarming numbers of dolphin and porpoise deaths caused by their fishing fleets in and around UK waters.

Scientists are very concerned by the numbers of dead common dolphins and porpoises washing up on our shores each year. They are worried that the numbers of deaths is excessively high due to poor practices by other nations’ fishing fleets in and around UK water, including the Spanish, French and Irish fleets.

• In Ireland the number of dead and dying dolphins found stranded on their coasts has soared by over 150% since 20103 and action by the Irish Government on this issue is inconsistent
• Spain has high numbers of fishing-related porpoise and dolphin deaths, the Galician coast alone has around 1700 deaths per year. The Spanish Government is not fulfilling EU legal requirements to monitor the catching of dolphins by their fleets
• France is monitoring bycatch but is doing little to reduce the numbers caught and killed

Sarah Baulch, Oceans Campaigner at the Environment Investigations Agency, said: ‘Every winter dead common dolphins wash up on our shores showing the tell-tale signs of having been caught in fishing gear. These animals will have suffered painful and prolonged deaths at the hands of fishing nets.

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