“Bass pair trawling is responsible for thousands of needless dolphin deaths every year and must be banned…Our message to the European Commission is: You have the power, now it is time to use it.” Neil Parish MEP, Conservative Chairman of the European Parliament’s animal welfare intergroup
Thousands of dolphins die each year off our shores after being trapped and entangled in netting. In the approaching winter months, from November to the end of March, the bass pair trawling fishery begins, bringing an needless end to many of these much-loved sea mammals. Bass pair trawling involves a large net stretched between two boats and dragged through the water. This method of fishing is the main cause of common dolphin deaths across the European Union. In 2005, the UK government banned the practice for UK registered vessels operating in the English Channel within 12 nautical miles of our shores. This does not go nearly far enough. Most dolphins live further out to sea and campaigners fear many are continuing to die unnoticed in these nets as they are snared too far offshore to wash up on our beaches. An attempt to get pair trawling banned within the Channel and south western approaches to the UK at an EU level was rejected by the European Commission in 2004. Conservatives are at the forefront of fighting for animal rights. A tireless eight-year-campaign by Conservative MEPs saw cat and dog fur imports, exports and trade banned across the EU in June 2007. For centuries dolphins have been an endless cause of fascination and joy and we are campaigning hard to ensure they remain so for many generations to come.
- Continued use of bass pair trawling is believed to cause thousands of common dolphin deaths every year
- Winter months will see numerous dead dolphins washed ashore with the characteristic marks of having been caught and entangled in bass pair trawl netting, including broken jaws and missing teeth
- Recent reports warn of a general decline in sightings of dolphin species, such as the common dolphin, both around our shores and within the Bay of Biscay
- Campaigners report an increase in the number of dead dolphins washed up on our beaches, despite the UK ban
In July 2007, Neil Parish MEP, Conservative Chairman of the European Parliament’s animal welfare intergroup, joined conservation organisations Marine Connection (www.marineconnection.org) and The Wildlife Trusts (www.wildlifetrusts.org) to present a report detailing these concerns and others to EU Maritime and Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg. They also handed over a petition signed to date by more than 370,000 people calling for immediate action. Conservatives will now continue to step up the pressure on the Commission. They can and must act.
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