French fishing ban great news for dolphins, less so for industry

A four-week ban on commercial fishing aimed at protecting dolphins in France's Bay of Biscay came into force on Monday, despite complaints from industry groups who say the measure is too costly.

The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea estimates that 9,000 dolphins die each year off the French Atlantic coast. AFP - CARL DE SOUZA

Brought on by pressure from environmental groups, the ban creates a no-fishing zone from Finistere, in the west of Brittany, all the way down to the Spanish border.

It was ordered by the Council of State, France’s top administrative court, and will run until 20 February. 

Proponents hope the measure will reduce the number of cetaceans, which are protected in EU waters, from drowning in fishing nets and becoming stranded on Atlantic beaches.

The French government has promised to compensate the fishing industry, which estimates the ban could cost up to 60 million euros.

9,000 deaths a year

The non-profit Pelagis marine observatory says dolphins' principal cause of death is becoming entangled in fishing gear.

The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea estimates that 9,000 dolphins die each year off the French Atlantic coast. Though, according to Sea Shepherd France, another NGO, the toll is probably much higher than reported. 

High mortality rates in wintertime in the Bay of Biscay are decimating populations, says the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA).

For the survival of the species, the council says existing populations cannot survive another winter of normal fishing risks.

• French health chiefs ban Bordeaux oysters amid norovirus scare
• Surge in number of dolphin deaths sparks call for halt to Atlantic fishing 

Since 2019, a group of NGOs have pressured the French government to take more productive steps to protect dolphins.

“France has repeatedly failed to introduce robust measures to prevent these deaths, despite being legally obliged to do so,” says EIA ocean campaigner Sarah Dolman. 

In March last year, the Council of State promised the closure of some fisheries to lower deaths on the Atlantic coast, including month-long winter bans in 2024, 2025 and 2026. 

Dolman says the no-fishing zones are "great news for common dolphins”, adding that “the issue in Biscay is urgent, as it is in other regions of Europe. Fisheries closures happen due to a lack of adequate action”.

Industry opposition 

The National Fisheries Committee labelled the measures "extremist", saying the common dolphin was "not in danger" in the Bay of Biscay. 

The ban, which affects boats longer than eight metres, will force an estimated 500 French vessels to dock.

“It’s absurd to stop businesses like that for a month,” Raymond Millet, a fisher from La Rochelle, told the AFP news agency. 

Breton shipowners were promised compensation of around 80 percent of their turnover. The French government also said it would provide "partial unemployment measures and specific aid, if necessary".

Franck Lalande, a boat owner in Arcachon, said the compensation payments were insufficient.

Another boat owner, Thibault Georget, from Concarneau, said: "They want to bleed us. We are in the process of killing small coastal fisheries and things are getting out of hand. We are here to work, to earn our bread.” 

It is the first time fishing industry workers have been confined to port since 1945.

Local authorities have countered threats to sidestep bans by saying they will intensify patrols. 

Philippe Garcia, head of Protection of Aquatic Environments, said it was counterproductive for the fisherfolk to not "play along”. 

The EIA said that while European governments had “much more to do” to bring down fishing-caused marine deaths, the new ban is a step in the right direction.

(with newswires)