Scientists from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) published an opinion, on Tuesday 26 May, advising the European Commission on measures needed to protect dolphins and porpoises from by-catch in fisheries.
A group of NGOs, including Oceana and Seas At Risk, who have called on the EU to act urgently, welcomed the advice as “landmark” (see EUROPE 12385/15).
ICES has advised the Commission to introduce emergency measures, including the closure of certain fisheries and the use of acoustic devices (pingers) to prevent the unnecessary killing of thousands of common dolphins in the Bay of Biscay and harbour porpoises in the Baltic Sea.
“In the Bay of Biscay alone, 11,300 common dolphins died during the winter of 2018-2019 due to fishing activities”, said the NGO Seas At Risk.
In the Baltic, the harbour porpoise is in danger of extinction, with only a few hundred animals surviving.
ICES stresses that protective measures will only be effective if they are applied over a long period of time.
The European Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius, had written to 22 EU Member States at the end of February asking them to tackle the problem of accidental catches of endangered species (see EUROPE 12433/10).
To consult the ICES opinion: https://bit.ly/2M1oHun (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)