Dead dolphins are washing up on France's Atlantic coast in such high numbers that local populations of the mammals are at risk, marine biologists say.
The overwhelming majority drowned in the nets of fishing trawlers. Post mortems often show fractures, broken tails and flippers and deep incisions cut into their skin by the nets. Some have been mutilated as fishermen release their bodies.
"We're reaching mortality rates that threaten the survival of the dolphin population in the Bay of Gascony," said Morgane Perri, a marine biologist in Brittany, western France.
"For the last three years, we've seen more than 1,000 deaths (dolphins and porpoises) over a four-month period each winter."
Common dolphins are the hardest hit. Scientists believe those found on beaches represent a small fraction of the total number dying in fishing nets off the coast of France. The real number is likely to be five to 10 times higher, they estimate.
Dolphins have for decades been caught in fishing nets in the Atlantic waters off western Europe. But marine scientists say the spike in numbers in recent years is a result of shifting fishing practices, and in particular the fishing vessels that trawl in pairs for sea bass.
French law requires fishermen to declare all cetacean by-catch. But Perri said this rarely happened.
The National Committee of Maritime Fishermen did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The slow reproduction rates of dolphins, which are mammals and need to surface in order to breathe, means they are particularly vulnerable to sharp falls in numbers, according to the Pelagis Observatory in La Rochelle.
Population models show numbers are stable, said Helene Peltier, a researcher at the observatory. "But once you see the decline, it's too late."
Activist group Sea Shepherd wants trawlers to be banned from fishing in sea bass spawning grounds and better monitoring of fisheries. Acoustic 'pingers' designed to repel dolphins are also being trialled on some fishing boats.
"There is no single miracle solution," Peltier said.
Reuters
Sun Jun 28 2020
Experts at the Observatoire Pelagis examine the bodies of dolphins, which were found dead on a beach, during scientific autopsies at municipal technical services in Barbatre on the Noirmoutier Island, France, February 11, 2020. - Reuters
Ketua angkatan tentera Kenya maut dalam tragedi helikopter terhempas
Sembilan mangsa lain dalam helikopter itu juga terbunuh, sementara dua lagi yang terselamat berada dalam keadaan kritikal.
Penunggang motosikal maut tercampak 30 meter dari jejantas
Mangsa mengalami pendarahan aktif pada muka dan telinga kiri, patah tangan serta kaki kiri.
Freedom Flotilla: Delegasi Malaysia dijadual hadiri latihan tanpa kekerasan Sabtu ini
Non violence training bertujuan mempersiapkan setiap peserta bagi mendepani sebarang kemungkinan sekiranya berlaku sebarang provokasi.
MATRADE rangka strategi perdagangan atasi cabaran geopolitik
Mohd Mustafa berkata, kesemua 49 pejabat MATRADE di luar negara telah diarahkan melakukan analisis mengenai pendedahan risiko geopolitik di kawasan masing-masing.
AS veto, halang PBB iktiraf negara Palestin
AS berkata sebuah negara Palestin yang merdeka harus ditubuhkan melalui rundingan terus antara Israel dan Pihak Berkuasa Palestin.
Pendigitalan penjagaan kesihatan, pembaharuan pembiayaan jadi keutamaan KKM - Dzulkefly
Pendigitalan penjagaan kesihatan, bersama-sama dengan pembaharuan pembiayaan kekal menjadi keutamaan Kementerian Kesihatan (KKM).
[LAPOR LANGSUNG] Peserta Gaza Freedom Flotilla dari Malaysia tiba di Istanbul
Kesemua mereka dijadual menetap di Istanbul selama dua hari bagi menyertai non-violence training dikendalikan FFC.
Orang ramai perlu berani lapor kes dera - Nancy
Perkara itu boleh dilaporkan secara terus melalui Talian Kasih 15999 yang dikendalikan oleh Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat (KPWKM).
Hamilton optimis kedudukan lebih baik di GP China
Lewis Hamilton melihat potensi kedudukan yang lebih baik dalam saingan Grand Prix yang kembali ke China buat pertama kali dalam tempoh lima tahun, hujung minggu ini.
Peserta industri Labuan IBFC rayu MOF benarkan aktiviti perdagangan
Peserta industri IBFC Labuan mengemukakan rayuan kepada Kementerian Kewangan bagi pertimbangan supaya membenarkan kegiatan perdagangan dalam lingkungan pusat itu.