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New nets ready for first sea trials this week
Fisheries Minister Elliot Morley, welcomes support from World Wildlife Fund
19th March 2002
Fisheries Minister Elliot Morley today met representatives from the World Wildlife Fund to talk about the problem of cetacean by-catch as sea trials on new dolphin friendly fishing nets are set to start in the UK.
Mr Morley is keen to achieve progress on this problem at EU level following reports of increased numbers of dead dolphins being washed up on British and French beaches and the emergence of new information from Government-funded research into the causes of these deaths.
An observation project commissioned by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs () and run by the Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU) has shown that most of the deaths occur in the winter offshore Sea Bass fishery in the western Channel.
Autopsies show the main cause of death is entanglement with fishing gear as dolphins get caught in the nets used by pair trawlers and can't get to the surface to breathe.
has funded research into the use of separator grids in fishing nets. The grids enable fish to swim to the end of the nets, but prevent dolphins from doing the same. Instead the grids direct dolphins towards the top of the nets where there is an escape hatch.
Prototypes of the new nets were successfully trialed in an observation tank last month and are now ready to be tried under commercial fishing conditions at sea with the help of UK fishermen.
The WWF heard about the work and asked to meet the Minister, offering support for his Department's efforts to raise awareness of the problem and find a solution that can be implemented at an EU level.
Mr Morley said he welcomed any efforts by the WWF to raise awareness of this problem through its international network.
Mr Morley said:
"Earlier this month I met representative from a number of UK and regional animal welfare groups and said they could help efforts to secure a European answer to the problem of dolphin by-catch.
"In the UK, we recognise that there is a problem and have been working to identify where and when it occurs and how it could be prevented. But we need wider research at EU level to get the bigger picture - this is not solely a UK problem and any solution needs to apply to all EU fishermen.
"I wrote to Franz Fischler about this in February and highlighted the work we were doing in the UK. His response was very positive, recognising the problem and the need to move swiftly to gather the scientific information and enable an EU solution to be found and implemented.
"Not all Member States recognise that there is a problem with cetacean by-catch, so there is much work to be done to raise awareness with the public, the media and Governments in these Member states intend to ensure that a solution is found to this problem and I am committed to making progress. I welcome the support of the WWF on this."
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