The European Commission reportedly declared, on Thursday 5 December, that it will not take emergency measures this winter to prevent the death of dolphins accidentally caught in fishing nets, the organisation ClientEarth regretted.
Last winter, around 1200 cetaceans, almost all identified as common dolphins, washed ashore along the French Atlantic coast. Eighty-five percent of these dolphins died after being caught up in fishing nets.
In July 2019, 22 environmental NGOs formally requested that the European Commission take legal action against 15 EU governments for failing to protect dolphins, porpoises and whales from bycatch (see EUROPE 12293/16).
At a conference on bycatch on 5 December, the Commission reportedly decided to postpone its decision on emergency measures, citing the need for scientific advice that will only be available in spring 2020. “In the meantime, thousands of cetaceans are at risk of dying from bycatch this winter” says ClientEarth. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)