Around 300 fishing boats will remain docked from Wednesday – and for a month – in France's Bay of Biscay. This measure aims to reduce the number of dolphins killed by accidental captures.
A four-week ban on commercial fishing aimed at protecting dolphins in France's Bay of Biscay comes again into force on Wednesday.
It was ordered by the Council of State, France’s top administrative court, and will run until 20 February.
The initiative, which helped reduce accidental dolphin captures by fourfold last winter, will see about 300 fishing boats from the west of Brittany, all the way down to the Spanish border, remain docked until 20 February.
The French government will cover 80 percent of the fishermen's revenue.
For over a decade, accidental dolphin captures in the region have exceeded sustainable levels, with up to 4,900 dolphin deaths, according to the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES).
In response to an infringement procedure from the European Commission and pressure from environmental groups, France is to impose a fishing ban for most vessels over eight meters long for 2025 and 2026.
This unprecedented measure, aimed at protecting fish species threatened by overfishing, is the largest of its kind in the Bay of Biscay since World War II.
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The number of dolphin deaths from accidental captures dropped significantly, from an average of 6,100 between 2017 and 2023 to just 1,450 between December 2023 and March 2024, according to non-profit Pelagis marine observatory.
"This is effective. The numbers prove it," said Jérôme Spitz, co-director of Pelagis.
He explained that dolphins are often captured while feeding, and the fishing closure was a key factor in reducing accidental captures. He also noted that mortality levels remained low during non-closure periods.
However, Spitz warned that the situation might change in the coming year due to potential "spikes" in strandings, which can lead to high mortality rates at different times, such as December or March.
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Long-term solution?
"I don't think the current closure is a long-term solution," he added, calling it an "emergency measure" while awaiting more sustainable structural solutions that would allow both fishing activities and dolphin populations to thrive.
Julien Lamothe, director of the FROM Sud-Ouest fishermen's organisation, agreed that the closure is a "simplistic solution" to limit interactions, but he also welcomed government support for continued compensation.
Lamothe is eager to develop large-scale experiments to explore alternative solutions to the closure, including testing repellents.
Over half of the 300 boats receiving compensation are already equipped with "pingers" or acoustic buoys designed to warn or repel dolphins from the danger zone.
"We now need to prove scientifically that this works," said France's Minister of Ecological Transition Agnès Pannier-Runacher, whose goal is to reopen the Bay of Biscay by February 2027.
Yet, Pelagis’ co-director remains cautious, stressing that no solution has yet shown universal effectiveness. "A combination of different approaches will be necessary for long-term success," he said, highlighting the value of cameras onboard ships to better understand the circumstances behind accidental captures.
Meanwhile, David Le Quintrec, a fisherman from Lorient in Brittany and president of the French Union of Artisinal Fishermen, expressed frustration over the second fishing closure, which he believes could have been avoided.
He filed a lawsuit last week with the Council of State against the decree mandating cameras on board about 100 vessels.
(with AFP)
