Campaign update

Current situation

Following our meeting with the EU Fisheries Commissioner, Joe Borg last year, we were promised a review of the Regulation, which would consider all member states’ national reports on bycatch monitoring and pinger use. This review is currently ongoing. At the end of this process the Commissioner will make recommendations for the future of the Regulation.

It is important that the Regulation is strengthened, with a workable mitigation device to permit bycatch mitigation and enforcement to be successful. Marine Connection are currently have maintained contact with both ICES and the Commission whilst this review is underway.

The Marine Connection continue to press for a total ban of bass pair trawling in the Channel and south-western approaches, whilst further mitigation measures are trialled. However, until quantifiable evidence is produced of a decline in the common dolphin population due to pair trawling for bass, the Commission is unlikely to take action at a European level.

Until such time that this evidence is produced, you, as a consumer can make a difference. Only purchase line caught bass from the supermarket or fish counter. When in a restaurant make a point of asking how the bass was caught. More and more restaurants are now serving line caught bass – by applying market pressure we can make a difference!

Other work has been aimed at protecting the wider marine environment and hence the habitat on which whales, dolphins and porpoises depend. To be truly effective, any conservation strategy requires the support and co-operation of the stakeholders involved in the use of an area. This may involve many people, just like you, who use the coast and sea for a variety of recreational and pleasure activities. By raising awareness of the marine environment we ultimately take a step closer to understanding it, developing a sense of ownership and a will to protect it.
Click here for further information on our work in this area