- Two Capbreton fishermen, a son and his father, were fined 5,000 euros, 3,000 of which were suspended for violating fishing regulations and endangering the lives of others.
- The Sea Sheperd association had filed a complaint against them in 2018, because of their practice of encircling net fishing.
- This technique consists of turning very quickly around a school of fish near the coast, to encircle it around a net.
This decision will bring water to the mill of several environmental associations, which want to ban the practice. Friday, June 12, the maritime court of Bordeaux condemned Vincent Agnès, a fisherman from Capbreton (Landes) - brother of the late CEO of Quiksilver Pierre Agnes - and his son Julien, of the facts of violation of the regulations as regards fishing, and endangering the lives of others.
The two fishermen were prosecuted before this specialized court following a complaint filed by the Sea Sheperd association in January 2018, denouncing the practice of gillnet fishing encircling in the 300-meter strip. This technique, writes Sea Sheperd in a statement on Thursday, "is to get very close to the coast at high speed and to surround the fish." It is "particularly open to criticism, on the one hand because of its environmental impact and on the other hand, because of the risks it poses to all users of the coast. The father and the son were both fined 5,000 euros, including 3,000 euros suspended.
Many films shot over the years
At the origin of this affair, which fascinated and mobilized fishermen, surfers and defenders of the ecological cause, was Philippe Garcia, a key witness during the hearing on February 14th. He was the one who provided the main evidence of the offenses noted, using numerous films shot over several years.
Questioned by 20 Minutes , he tells how his fight "against this fishing" has gradually transformed into a "vocation to save the ocean. An investment which he details at length in the writings within the association for the defense of marine resources.
A fishing that is practiced "at the bottom of the coast, the privileged hunting ground of the bar"
"This fishing technique is not prohibited," he clarified at the outset, even if we hope it will be soon. The idea is to quickly surround a school of fish, in this case bars, and to hope that they get caught in a net, which is unrolled at the rear of the boat while the ship is turning very fast. great speed around the school of fish, at observed speeds of the order of 12 to 15 knots in the case of the ship Chipiron II . It is also necessary that this net reaches the bottom of the sea, otherwise the fish would pass under it, it is therefore necessary to act in shallow depths, that is to say close to the coast, the preferred hunting ground of the bass . This fishing is incompatible with safety rules in the 300-meter strip everywhere in France, which fixes the maximum speed of boats at 5 knots, and with the two-departmental ban on fishing within 300 meters, in summer and day, in force in the Landes and the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, in order to protect bathers and surfers. "
The court specifically found violations of these two orders, and found that there was "endangerment of others".
Practiced everywhere in France
If it is practiced everywhere in France, in particular in the Mediterranean, this technique causes strong polemics along the Atlantic coast. "There is a phenomenal opposition from surfers and other fishermen," points out Philippe Garcia. It must be stopped for safety, and for the fishery resource, because in addition to sea bass, other fish are collateral victims, such as the mullet. This court decision is therefore very important to us. "
The two fishermen assured during the hearing that this practice, which dates back to the 1970s, "never caused any injuries". They believe they had the necessary authorizations, and have decided to appeal the judgment.
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