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 X about a “painful but necessary measure to reduce the accidental catch of dolphins.”
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 about 2,396 dead dolphins in 2022, citing the Pelagis research center.
Fishermen should be partially compensated for their losses
The measure worries fishermen: “The fact that we cannot work on the boat or on the quay for a month is a bit complicated,” broadcaster France 3 quoted a fisherman. According to “Le Parisien”, associations record losses totaling 70 to 90 million euros. Béchu wrote that fishermen should receive compensation of more than 80 percent of their income.
Source: Krone
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