Dolphins stranded on Cape Breton beach in February 2013 -

DR / OBSERVATOIRE PELAGIS

"We have again extremely high strandings, mainly in Vendée, Charente-Maritime and South-Brittany".

Hélène Peltier, from the Pelagis scientific observatory in La Rochelle, is worried.

The year 2020 could be another black year for dolphins on the French coast with many strandings linked to fishing, for lack of sufficient measures, warn scientists, NGOs and Europe.

From January 1 to March 17, date of the start of the first confinement, a thousand small cetaceans stranded in the Bay of Biscay, 80% of which were common dolphins.

Brittany experienced significant strandings between July and September, in addition to winter peaks in mortality.

About 70% of autopsied animals show evidence of capture by fishing gear.

But most of the corpses sink at sea. "We have been between 8,000 and 10,000 dead each winter for two years," says Hélène Peltier.

Infringement proceedings opened against France

The problem is not new: the Pelagis Observatory has observed since 2016 a worsening of this 30-year-old phenomenon.

A situation which threatens the population of common dolphins in the Bay of Biscay, worry scientists.

For the European Commission, France is not fulfilling its obligations towards this protected species.

An infringement procedure was opened in July.

The Ciem, a scientific body which monitors the ecosystems of the North Atlantic and the level of fish stocks, recommends in the Bay of Biscay "a combination of temporal closures for all the trades concerned and the use of pingers (acoustic devices intended for keep cetaceans away) on pelagic beef trawlers ”and suggests other solutions, such as a 40% reduction in fishing effort.

"The Commission is examining the new Ciem recommendations to see how they can be used to achieve a good result, while respecting the rights of citizens and fishermen," a European source told AFP.

Fishermen very worried about their industry

These hypotheses are rejected by French fishermen, already very worried about the consequences of Brexit and Covid-19.

"You cannot shoot down an entire industry because you have decided to stop all forms of fishing for four months," protests Hubert Carré, director general of the National Maritime Fisheries Committee (CNPMEM).

Fishermen participate in research programs to improve pingers, with observers or on-board cameras, he argues.

"We do not know at what stage of the fishing action we have these accidental catches", he said, assuring that in the long term, "the idea is to adapt the fishing technique".

Minister of the Sea promises more control in 2021

Minister of the Sea Annick Girardin has closed the door to fishing closures.

She promised more control in 2021 to enforce the obligation of fishermen to report bycatch.

The government also plans to impose pingers on the trawlers concerned throughout the year, to strengthen the presence of observers on the boats and to experiment with cameras on board.

"Accidental captures of dolphins, there are some (...) But our scientific knowledge is insufficient to question the whole of a sector today," said the Minister in October.

An argument rejected by Hélène Peltier.

"Explaining that scientists lack data is not the truth," said the biologist, estimating that "none of the measures proposed by the minister will generate a reduction in accidental captures this winter".

For NGOs, the account is not there.

“We need transparency.

We are asking for on-board cameras that film the nets and allow us to have a realistic photograph of the impact of fishing on the area, ”pleads Lamya Essemlali of Sea Shepherd, who has been patrolling for several winters in the Bay of Biscay to film the catches. accidental.

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