Dolphins Applaud EU’s Goal to Ban Driftnets!

Over the span of only 55 years, humans have managed to wipe out 90 percent of the oceans top predator fish. Overfishing has become a sort of ocean epidemic, the result of inefficient and reckless practices that have dealt a serious blow to marine ecosystems all over the world. Gillnets, trawlnets, and driftnets are predominantly responsible for the accidental death of dolphins, sharks, bluefin tuna, and swordfish (fish largely considered bycatch by commercial fisheries).

These types of fishing nets span for miles, are incredibly heavy, and can destroy coral and any marine animal in its path. Because commercial fisheries do not check the nets frequently, thousands of dolphins, sharks, whales, sea turtles and other “non-target” sea creatures die tangled in nets.

Luckily, the EU is beginning to take steps to address this blaring problem by proposing a ban on the use of driftnets! Noting the incredible cost to the oceans’ marine systems, the EU aims to end the “indiscriminate fishing” of marine life caused by these nets.

According to the EU’s Fisheries Commissioner, Maria Damanaki, driftnets destroy “marine habitats, endangers marine wildlife and threatens sustainable fisheries.”

It has been estimated that if fishing practices continue at their current rate, the world’s fisheries will collapse by 2048. While banning a single form of fishing net may seem like a minor act in the HUGE effort needed to restore the world’s marine systems, this move by the EU could actually have an incredible impact on the species residing in the EU’s waters. Driftnets are commonly called “walls of death,” illustrating just how devastating their use can be.

Damanki addressed the media at the European Commission headquarters, stressing the necessity of this ban to “close any possible loopholes and simplify control and enforcement.”

This ban can be seen as a definitive move by the EU to show their intolerance of destructive fishing practices. The proposed ban will now be passed along to the 28 member states of the EU for approval. Though the threat to marine fisheries is very daunting, there are viable solutions and it is imperative that we act now before it’s too late.

Image source: Stuart Burns/Wikipedia Commons