South West May Lose Dolphins (Updated 12 Jul 07)

Jun 07,2007 00:00 by SACN

It seems that the unilateral measures introduced by the UK to ban bass pair trawling in the South West by UK vessels within 12 miles is only having a marginal impact on preventing the death of dolphins unlucky enough to be caught and suffocated in the bass trawl nets, or to become entangled in other forms of netting.

Should the dolphin and whale population continue to decrease, this will be a blow to the valuable whale and dolphin spotting industry that has sprung up in the area, and a greater tragedy for the health of the South West's marine ecosystem.

The only answer now is to continue to press for an end to the winter bass pair trawl fishery by all European nations.

Letters to MPs and MEPs, asking them to press for urgent action, are needed to bring the importance of this issue to their attention.

See story in the Exmouth Journal