The institution had been seized in 2021 by several environmental defense associations requiring actions to deal with the excess mortality of these mammals.
by lan wei
The government must act decisively to put an end to the massacre of dolphins, caused by “accidental” catches in certain fishing machines. According to the Pelagis Observatory, which has been monitoring the straightening of marine mammals for five decades, this winter has seen unprecedented excess mortality of small cetaceans: 395 corpses, more than six per day on average, were found on the Gulf Littoral from Gascogne. A large majority had traces of capture in a fishing machine. The real number of dolphins killed is probably much higher. Pelagis estimates only about 20 % of corpses reach the beaches.
Faced with these dramas observed for a long time in France, France Nature Environnement (FNE) and Sea Shepherd, with the support of the Association Defense of Aquatic environments, had launched, in 2021, four requests requiring actions of the State up to the emergency of the situation. The Council of State studied these requests on Friday February 24.
During this hearing, the public rapporteur, Marie-Gabrielle Merloz, recognizing the excess dolphins in the Gulf of Gascogne, underlined the “shortcomings of the measures” taken by the government so far to protect the common dolphins, The great dolphins and the common porpoises of the area, all species protected by French and European laws.
In her opinion, she invites judges “to enjoin the government to combine the use of acoustic deterrent devices to measurements of space-time closures”, making fishing by the most destructive machines illegal, such as trawlers Pelagics, in the waters of the Gulf during this period. These acoustic repulsive devices – “Pingers” – should be installed on fishing boats. The rapporteur lets the government determine the dates and the duration of this ban, but requires shares within six months of the judge’s decision. 2> “Each day adds agony”
The associations welcomed the opinion of the rapporteur and hope that he will be taken up in the final decision of the Council of State, expected in the coming weeks. “The rapporteur has taken a courageous position by clearly informing the State to put in place the measures that we have been asking since 2018,” said Marion Creent, lawyer for Sea Shepherd, at the end of the hearing.
The NGO has also filed a dozen complaints for cases of non -declaration of capture, consumption or mutilation. On February 18, a scarified dolphin, carrying a hateful message against Sea Sheperd, was discovered dead in the Gulf of Gascogne. The League for the Protection of Birds (LPO), which is not involved in legal action but organized on Wednesday February 22, an exhibition of dolphins stranded at the Esplanade des Invalides, congratulated the associations. “I hope now a quick decision as every day adds agony to agony,” said Allain Bougrain-Dubourg, the president of the association.
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