New “massive” stranding of dolphins victims of fishing on the Atlantic coast

The macabre discoveries continue. Dozens of dolphin carcasses have been found on the beaches of the Atlantic coast since Saturday, a new “massive” stranding that environmental defense associations attribute to weather conditions and “very strong fishing pressure”.

On the beaches of the island of Ré (Charente-Maritime), at least fifteen of these cetaceans have washed ashore in the last three days, said Monday Dominique Chevillon, president of the association Ré Nature Environnement and vice-president of the League for the Protection of Birds (LPO). Reporters saw five carcasses on Monday morning.

400 cetaceans found since December 1

Citing feedback from members of the LPO, which regularly alerts to the proliferation of strandings this year, this manager estimates that “about 200” the number of specimens found in recent hours on the beaches of the Bay of Biscay. The Pelagis observatory, which has been recording cetacean strandings on the Atlantic coast since 1970, recognizes the extent of the phenomenon but without having a “precise figure”.

“With the wind that there was this weekend, many strandings were observed. Our researchers are in the field right now, evacuating and listing them,” a Pelagis spokeswoman said. Some 400 small cetaceans had already been found stranded on the Atlantic coast from December 1 to February 15, according to Pelagis. Most (90%) were common dolphins, a protected species, and a “great majority” showed “traces of capture in fishing gear”.

Most strandings occur in February and March

“It confirms the massive peak on the Bay of Biscay”, judge Dominique Chevillon, who highlights the strong westerly wind having pushed the carcasses towards the coast and a “very strong fishing pressure”.

“The broken teeth on this rostrum is undoubtedly a human-made injury,” said Jean-Roch Meslin, correspondent for the National Stranding Network on the Ile de Ré, while examining a stranded female. Some carcasses had gaping wounds or fin marks, the reporters found.

The majority of strandings usually occur in February and March, when dolphins approach the coast to find their food and therefore have the most interaction with fishermen, according to these associations.

Faced with NGOs and scientists who are calling for a temporary interruption of fishing, the government has so far favored measures to document the phenomenon and technical solutions, such as on-board cameras or repellents on boats.

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