Dolphins battered by fishery

The Wildlife Trusts

Storm force winds currently hitting the south west coast, are uncovering a large number of dead dolphins and porpoises. In the first two weeks of 2004 forty-seven stranded animals have been reported on the beaches of England and Wales, which is approximately three animals a day washing in and a very disturbing start to the New Year.

“Year on year hundreds of carcasses of common dolphins and porpoises are washed ashore in the Southwest of England. These are unacceptable levels of dolphin deaths within UK waters and current UK and European legislation is simply not doing enough to address this problem,” said Joan Edwards, Marine Policy Director of The Wildlife Trusts.

“Dead dolphins on the UK’s beaches are just one sign that we need radical changes in the way we look after the marine environment on which we all depend. Government needs to act now before our marine wildlife is totally destroyed.”

The Wildlife Trusts will be meeting with Mr Ben Bradshaw, the minister responsible for fishing, next Wednesday and will be asking what the Government are going to do to prevent further dolphins being killed in the Bass pelagic trawl fishery. The recent European proposal to put observers on board a small percentage of the pelagic fleet is simply not enough. The Wildlife Trusts believe the only answer is to ban the bass pair-trawling fishery until possible solutions or alternative measures have been fully trialled and researched to prevent cetacean bycatch.

Thirty three thousand people have now signed The Wildlife Trusts' dolphin petition, pledging support for the campaign to ban the pelagic trawl sea bass fishery in the English Channel. This form of fishing has killed an estimated 67,500 common dolphins in the last 15 years. The dolphins are trapped and killed in nets dragged at high speed through the English Channel and the Bay of Biscay in December, January, February and March. Hundreds more dolphins will die this winter, and it's vital to keep up pressure on the EC to do more to prevent these deaths, and ensure that the problem of bycatch continues to have a high profile among the decision makers, so please keep the signatures coming in!

How you can help
Each stranded dolphin is vitally important to this campaign. We need to record each one to help build up the evidence needed for Europe to take action and stop these deaths now. With the stormy weather and winter gales set to continue The Wildlife Trusts are appealing for people:

• To keep a look-out for dolphins and porpoises if they are walking on the beach over the next couple of weeks and call their local Wildlife Trust with the details. In Cornwall call the strandings hotline on 0845 201 2626. In Devon call 01392 279244.
• Lobby your local MP and MEP to continue to press for action to ban the bass pair trawling fishery now.
• Sign the petition on line at: www.wildlifetrusts.org Or download a multi-signature petition form, perfect for your school or workplace, and send it to The Wildlife Trusts, FREEPOST MID20441, Newark NG24 4BR. Click here to sign the petition and find out more.

To help save marine wildlife and address a host of marine conservation problems, including stranding surveys, The Wildlife Trusts are running a Marine Appeal throughout the winter months asking for people to support them through donations to raise £250,000. All donations should be sent to The Marine Appeal, The Wildlife Trusts, The Kiln, Waterside, Mather Road, Newark NG24 1WT.

All whales, porpoises and dolphins stranded on, or caught in the waters around England and Wales belong to the sovereign under the terms of the Royal Fishes Act of 1324. It is an offence for the remains of stranded cetaceans to be removed by unauthorised groups or individuals. The Natural History Museum, London, acting as Crown agent, has first claim to such carcasses and reports, each year, to the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the number of UK strandings.

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