It is the second year that France has imposed a stop: here, in Bay of Biscayaround 300 boats will have to stay away from fishing for four weeks, with the aim of attempting to safeguard the populations of cetaceans who live in this area of the North Atlantic Ocean.
With all due respect to the industry, in fact, in this maritime area which extends to the border with Spain, attempts will be made to preserve the lives of hundreds of splendid dolphins.
Over the past decade, the number of dolphin bycatch in this area has exceeded the sustainable level estimated at a maximum of 4,900 deathsaccording to the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), a leading scientific body.
Protection of dauphins and marsouins: the State Council confirms the necessity of a fish stop in the Golfe de Gascogne, during four weeks, in winter
Read the decision: https://t.co/qF86fgbLyX pic.twitter.com/OjeKzFAQRw
— Conseil d’État (@Conseil_Etat) December 30, 2024
According to what we read on France24, the result of the stopped policies has already been, so far, a decline in the number of deaths of dolphins due to accidental capture: 1,450 from December 2023 to March 2024 on the Atlantic coast and the Western Channel, compared to 6,100 in average between 2017 and 2023, according to the Pelagis Institute, which coordinates the National Stranding Network.
