The European Commission said today that it will not take emergency measures this winter to tackle the tragic death of dolphins caught in fishing nets.

Last winter, around 1200 cetaceans – almost all identified as common dolphins – washed ashore along the French Atlantic coast. 85 percent of these dolphins died after being caught up in fishing nets.  The entanglement of unwanted animals caught in nets is referred to as ‘bycatch’ and it is considered the greatest threat to cetaceans in European waters, with many thousands dying each year.

In July 2019, 22 environmental NGOs formally requested that the European Commission take legal action against 15 EU governments for failing in their legal duty to protect dolphins, porpoises and whales from bycatch.

The group also called for emergency protection measures to be introduced for Baltic harbour porpoises and North East Atlantic common dolphins to immediately prevent further deaths in these populations under imminent threat due to fishing activities.

Such emergency measures, which have a strong legal basis and are supported by comprehensive scientific evidence, should include:
• temporarily or permanently closing fisheries in key areas where bycatch is a problem,
• implementing year round on board observations and electronic monitoring,
• requiring mandatory use of acoustic devices that act as a deterrent to Baltic porpoises,

But at an event on bycatch today, the Commission’s DG MARE postponed its decision on emergency measures, citing a need for scientific advice that will not be available until spring 2020. In the meantime, thousands of cetaceans are at risk of dying from bycatch this winter. Click here to read more

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