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Could this be the end of the carnage?
Herald Express
3rd February 2003
Martin Hesp reports on the hope that new research findings into the by-catch horror, available soon, will lead to the EU imposing stringent new measures on the use of 'wall-of-death' nets
A directive from EU ministers has signalled the beginning of the end for the by-catch horror story that has seen the wholesale slaughter of cetaceans off West-country coasts.
Fishery experts in Brussels hope that new research findings will be made available as early as April - giving them the green light to impose stringent new measures that should put an end to the horrendous dolphin deaths caused by questionable fishing techniques.
A recently published EU report describes the sort of expedients that might be imposed: "Limitations to gear use range from the complete banning of a gear type or metier, as has occurred with driftnets for large pelagics in EU waters, through partial banning on a seasonal or area basis, to limits on fishing effort. For example, limiting the length of driftnets to 2.5 km."
Other measures may include introducing escape hatches to giant "wall-of-death" nets, or the use of sonic devices called "pingers" which emit high-pitched sounds designed to drive marine mammals, such as dolphins, away.
The EU is pushing ahead with the initiative because it says individual member states are failing to put measures into place, even though they have a responsibility to protect creatures such as the dolphin under the Habitats Directive. "The EU is concerned about the problem of cetacean by-catch," the WMN was told by Mireille Thom, a communications officer for the EU's fisheries department in Brussels. "We are taking it very seriously and have been looking at various proposals - like plans to make the fishing gear more selective. It has been a matter of looking at scientific evidence and now we must consult with the fishing industry and look at the economic impact."
The new directive calls upon member states and research organisations to tender study programmes that will look into the economic ramifications new measures will have on the fisheries involved. Only when the research is complete can new rulings be enacted.
I asked Ms Thom why action had not been taken sooner. "It is already the responsibility of member states to protect dolphins under the Habitat Directive," she said. "That has been the case for some years. But there have been problems. Nothing has been put into place, so that is why the EU has taken this step."
The EU, of course, has the power to take multilateral action - the only real way in which the cetacean by-catch problem can be addressed. A British Government ban on winter sea-bass pair-trawling, for example, would affect just half a dozen Scottish boats. It would not prevent dozens of French craft trawling their gigantic nets up and down the English Channel. "I believe there have been exchanges between Britain and France in this matter," said Ms Thom. "But pointing a finger at one fleet or another does not help. As far as I know, no scientist has yet come forward and said: 'It's the sea-bass fishery that's causing all the cetacean deaths.' But it is certainly the fishery that gets blamed the most." When I asked Ms Thom if a complete ban on pair-trawling for sea bass was being considered she replied that such measures were not out of the question. "You must remember that we have already banned the use of drift-nets for environmental reasons," she said. A spokesman for said of the new EU directive: "It's extra to what we are doing already. We're funding our own UK research and that's been underway for sometime. We've been doing trials with separation grids that allow dolphins to escape the nets. But there have been a number of setbacks."
Lindy Hingley who, for the past 14 years has run Brixham Seawatch - a pressure group set up to end cetacean by-catch - is far from happy with the present situation. "The trouble is, everybody's passing the buck," she said: " could ban our sea-bass pair-trawlers overnight and there would not be huge ramifications. The excuse our Government uses is that the French will continue. But they could have acted - why not lay up what are just a few Scottish boats?
"There are lots of ways to catch bass that don't kill dolphin. This fishery is lethal because the dolphins never realise they're caught in the first place. Why? Because the nets are too huge. You can fit seven jumbo jets into one of the pair-trawler nets. I would welcome any stop to this carnage."
Stella Turk, who runs the strandings database for Cornwall Wildlife Trust, said: "I suppose this will be a beginning. They'll look at the cost of having the escape hatches fitted and then, if they don't work, I suppose they'll look at the cost of stopping the pair-trawling altogether. We know the French have more than anyone else, so they're the ones who must be stopped.
"Personally, I say they're catching too many bass. Many people believe we would do far better if they concentrated on letting bass grow to a proper size. That would allow the angling industry to develop. People go off to Ireland and America to catch proper sized sea bass now, but they wouldn't have to.
"As for cetacean strandings - we've never had such a concentration in such a short time. Seventy-seven in Cornwall and 39 in Devon this month. That's three a day. We believe it goes hand in hand with the winter sea bass fishery - as bass move up for spawning from January to March."
Grim figures indeed. Figures that surely require urgent and effective action before next winter's sea-bass fishery sweeps the English Channel with gigantic "wall-of-death" nets. Dolphin-lovers across the region are waiting for the EU's final decision with anticipation.
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