Hundreds of French fishing boats are not allowed to sail for a month to protect dolphins on the Atlantic coast.
From Monday to February 20, certain boats are not allowed to sail in the Bay of Biscay. About 450 boats are reported to have been affected. Environment Minister Christophe Béchu wrote on Platform X about a “painful but necessary measure to reduce the accidental catch of dolphins”.
According to the decision of the Conseil d’État, part of the pêcheurs du Golfe de Gascogne is a été contrainte d’interrompre toute activité de pêche dès ce matin, a measure more necessary to reduce the catch of accidental dauphins.
The impact of this decision for…
— Christophe Bechu (@ChristopheBechu) January 22, 2024
The French Council of State had previously ordered the government to temporarily close the fishing areas. Dolphins often end up as bycatch in fishing nets and die because they can no longer rise to the surface of the water to breathe. The newspaper “Le Parisien” wrote with reference to the Pelagis research center 2396 dead dolphins in 2022.
This measure worries fishermen. The channel France 3 quotes a fisherman:
According to “Le Parisien”, the associations are growing Losses totaling 70 to 90 million euros out. Béchu wrote that fishermen should receive compensation amounting to more than 80 percent of their income. (sda/dpa)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
