The EU Commission has adopted a delegated act establishing measures in the Bay of Biscay by 2025 to prevent incidental catches of dolphins and other small cetaceans in fisheries. Unless the European Parliament or the Council objects within the next two months, it will enter into force to close the Bay of Biscay to fishing vessels over eight metres from 22 January to 20 February 2025 as around this period it’s a high-risk time for incidental catches of small cetaceans. The specific types of fishing vessels include pelagic and demersal trawls, seiners, and netters. These measures were the subject of a joint recommendation by Belgium, France, Portugal, and Spain and include the mandatory use of acoustic deterrents and a year-round monitoring programme for small cetaceans using observers and on-board cameras which will help monitor the situation closely next year and assess whether additional measures are needed.
In response, the fishing sector and Member States are actively investing in research and trials of new technologies to minimise interactions between fishing vessels and small cetaceans, allowing fishing activities and cetacean conservation to go hand in hand. Although we welcome any move to reduce dolphin deaths, where there is fishing gear, there will always be dolphins (and whales) getting entangled and dying – it’s estimated around 9,000 dolphins die in the Bay of Biscay each year after being caught in fishing gear, some years the numbers even higher.
Fishing Gear Entanglement is a global issue, it is the biggest and most serious threat to both small and large cetaceans in our oceans today but consumers have the power to end this threat by leaving all fish off their plates.
