00:00 Hundreds of dead dolphins wash up on the French Atlantic coast every winter.
00:07 Most of them drown after accidentally getting stuck in fishing gear.
00:12 This is what`s called bycatch.
00:22 Bycatch affects many animals such as sharks, whales, birds and turtles.
00:28 These species, which are often protected, are accidental victims that are not directly targeted by fishers.
00:36 In the Bay of Biscay, it`s mostly dolphins that get caught in fishers nets.
00:42 Since 2016, the number of dolphins in the bay who have become victims of bycatch has increased considerably.
01:10 This is partly due to the fact that dolphins are moving closer to the coast to track their prey.
01:16 And it`s also where most fishers are.
01:18 Interactions are made because fishers catch fish that feed on prey that is the same as that of dolphins.
01:26 We are talking about small fish, especially anchovies and sardines, which are a privileged right of dolphins.
01:32 They are seen in a much more abundant way on the coast.
01:43 Winter is the busiest time for fishing activities in the bay.
01:48 And therefore, when most incidental captures take place.
01:53 Between December 2022 and April 2023, at least 1,000 dolphins washed up on the French Atlantic coast.
02:02 But it`s so far unclear how many of them have died as a result of bycatch.
02:08 According to experts, strandings only account for around 10 to 20 percent of deaths.
02:14 The majority sink or drift at sea.
02:18 Since 2016, there are between 6,000 and 10,000 dolphins estimated to have died at sea in the Gulf of Gascony by winter.
02:29 The mortality rate is worrying, considering that around 200,000 dolphins live in the area.
02:36 The indicators we have, whether on a European or French scale,
02:39 indicate that the level of capture we have today is not sustainable for the population.
02:45 Dolphin population numbers can take years and sometimes decades to recover because of their low reproduction rate.
02:53 Dolphins reach their sexual maturity between the ages of 8 and 13, give birth every 3 to 6 years and live to around 30 years old.
03:04 Like most humans, they only have one baby at a time.
03:29 Over the last decade, the European Commission has introduced many regulations aiming to protect marine life and habitats.
03:38 The common fisheries policy, which seeks to minimize the impacts of fishing activities on ecosystems.
03:45 The habitat directive, which prohibits any form of deliberate capture or killing of protected species.
03:52 And the good environmental status, which aims to ensure that bycatch levels do not threaten the survival of the affected marine creatures.
04:02 Incidental captures are not a new phenomenon.
04:09 The problem was first identified 30 years ago, when most captures were made by trawls.
04:16 These fishing nets are like a big pouch that is pulled along by one or two boats.
04:22 Since 2020, French and Spanish trawlers in the Bay of Biscay have been required to use pingers.
04:39 These acoustic devices are placed on the nets and emit sounds to frighten the dolphins away.
04:45 And the results are quite promising.
04:48 However, this technology can only be used on trawlers, which account for a small portion of the fleet.
05:09 Out of the 600 fishing boats that operate in the bay, only 60 are trawlers.
05:15 The rest of the fleet uses other types of nets, such as gill nets.
05:20 A type of net that is left in the water to trap fish by their gills.
05:25 And attaching pingers onto these very long nets is complicated.
05:30 There are 400 trawlers in the winter in the Bay of Biscay,
05:34 which deploy between a few kilometres and 50 kilometres of nets.
05:38 Knowing that you have to put a pinger every 400 metres, the net, when deployed, moves fast.
05:43 Imagine the number of pingers that would have to be put on the nets.
05:46 In March 2023, the French Conseil d'État, which is the government's legal advisor,
05:52 asked the state to close certain areas of the bay to help the dolphin population recover.
05:59 Closures are backed by both scientists and nature conservation groups as an emergency solution.
06:06 But the consequences could be disastrous for the fishing industry.
06:11 It's very difficult to identify specific areas that need to be closed to limit accidental capture.
06:17 Some boats fish in the same areas, at the same time, at the same time.
06:21 Some have a few captures, others don't at all.
06:25 So, in reality, we're talking about closing the whole of the Gascon Gulf,
06:29 from Brittany to the Spanish coast.
06:31 So 400 ships would be subject to these closures
06:35 in relatively long periods of time, in the early years.
06:39 In response to the Conseil d'État, the French government recently submitted a draft decree
06:45 establishing measures to reduce bycatch.
06:48 This includes an annual one-month ban on pelagic trawling and gill netting
06:53 that will remain in place until 2026.
06:57 However, vessels can obtain an exemption if they commit to using deterrent devices like pingers.
07:04 I don't think it's easy to close fishing areas.
07:07 We have to remember that this is a problem that we've identified for more than 30 years in the waters,
07:12 and that we're still dealing with the same problem.
07:15 I think it's a shame, because it's not necessarily the message we want to convey.
07:19 We'd rather say, "We've worked with the profession, we have solutions to offer you,
07:23 but we can anticipate what we're going to do, and it's going to work."
07:27 It's a shame that after 30 years, we're not able to say that.
07:30 Other solutions include temporarily banning certain types of fishing,
07:35 developing new technologies, and creating more marine-protected areas.
07:40 It's clear that we'll always have activities that will cohabit with the dolphin population,
07:45 so the risk will always exist.
07:47 What we need is maximum reduction.
07:49 That's why we're always looking to find technical solutions
07:53 that will limit the interactions of fishing activities with dolphin populations
07:58 to maintain a balance between the continuity of these activities,
08:02 which are not meant to have accidental captures,
08:05 but we have to remember that they're meant to bring back fish every day and feed the population.
08:11 Closing the bay would help dolphin populations recover,
08:15 but the solution would only be temporary.
08:17 As soon as the fisheries reopen, the problem would return.
08:21 Unless fishing practices change.
08:26 [Music]
08:34 [MUSIC]
Comments