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RSPCA hails fishermen's initiative
The Scotsman
27th October 2004
A move by Cornish fishermen to stop the deaths of “dolphins and porpoises in gill nets was today praised by the RSPCA as a great step forward” which urged other fishermen to follow suit.
The Cornish fishermen, who feel they have been wrongly blamed for some of the deaths, have helped the development of a voluntary practice aimed at protecting the cetaceans.
The RSPCA said a major concern had been the accidental entanglement of porpoises in bottom-set nets around the South West.
The air-breathing mammals slowly suffocate to death beneath the surface when they become entangled.
The charity’s marine scientific officer, Laila Sadler, said: “This voluntary code is a great step forward and sends out a very positive message to other fishermen.
“It is great to get the cooperation of the fishing industry in our efforts to save porpoises and dolphins.”
Cornwall county’s chief fisheries officer, Edwin Derriman, said he saw no reason why such initiatives could not be followed by fishermen across the country.
The code was drawn up following meetings of Cornish fishermen with officers from the Cornish Fish Producers Organisation and Cornwall Sea Fisheries Committee.
The chief executive of the CFPO, Paul Trebilcock, said: “After what I believe to be totally unjustifiable criticism of Cornish fishermen, this shows that far from being inactive or disinterested, we have been proactive in developing our own unique voluntary agreement to tackle this problem.”
Under the code, if cetaceans are seen in areas where fishing is taking place, fishermen will pull their nets and warn other boats in the area.
And if a cetacean does appear among the catch, fishermen will in those circumstances stop fishing and alert other boats.
The approach to cetacean bycatch was developed out of a voluntary agreement last winter, which saw fishermen moving their nets out of an area in Mounts Bay, where porpoises were being found stranded.
BBC News reports that a conservation group has criticised new fishing practices off Cornwall aimed at minimising dolphin deaths.
Under a new code of practice, if cetaceans are seen in areas where fishing is taking place, fishermen will pull their nets and warn other boats.
The deal was agreed by the Cornwall Sea Fisheries and the Cornish Fish Producers Organisation (CFPO).
But Lindy Hingley of Brixham Seawatch said dolphins followed fish and would always appear in fishing areas.
Deflect attention
More than 300 dolphin and porpoise carcasses were found on beaches in the South West in the year 2002-2003.
Ms Hingley added that porpoises generally stuck to one area, so warnings of their presence would be useless.
She said that the code of practice was a ruse by the fishermen to deflect attention away from the deaths of cetaceans in their nets after the announcement of an end to inshore bass fishing.
Bass fishing by pair trawlers has been blamed for most of the dolphin deaths.
Ms Hingley said: "They know that they catch dolphins in their nets, they know that they are being looked at and they know that the finger will be pointed at them when bass fishing stops.
"The type of fishing they do is always going to catch dolphins and porpoises and there is nothing they can do about that except stop fishing with gill nets."
The fishermen maintain that the code of practice will be effective.
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