Dead dolphins bearing the scars of a final struggle in large fishing nets were today (31 March) delivered simultaneously to French government offices in Paris and London. The deliveries came as Greenpeace renewed calls for a total ban on pair trawling - a form of fishing which is estimated to kill thousands of dolphins in the Channel every year.
In London, Greenpeace activists delivered the frozen dolphins to the French Embassy in Knightsbridge. The dolphins were left on the steps to the building. In Paris, the dolphins were delivered to the office of the Fisheries Minister.The dolphins were recently recovered in the Channel by the Greenpeace ship Esperanza during its six-week tour of the area. The tour exposed the large numbers of dolphins being killed in the nets of French and UK pair trawl boats fishing for sea bass.
During the tour one lactating female and three still-warm dolphins with their bellies slit wide open were found close to areas where French pair trawlers were operating. The animals' stomachs are likely to have been slit in an effort to make them sink. In total nine dead dolphins were found during the ship tour. Greenpeace volunteers also took action to prevent both French and UK pair trawlers operating.
Pair trawlers fish in twos, dragging a huge net between them. French boats dominate the fleet in the Channel. Government observers on UK sea bass trawlers last year recorded over 150 dolphins killed by just one pair of trawlers. Government figures estimate that the UK fleet alone was responsible for the deaths of 439 dolphins last year. It is estimated that the UK and French fleets combined could be killing over 2,000 dolphins a year. If the current kill rate continues it could lead to the extinction of dolphins in the Channel.
Oliver Knowles, Greenpeace oceans campaigner, said: "Even though the French pair trawling fleet is the largest in Europe, the French government has taken no action to stop this fishery which kills dolphins in massive numbers every year.
"The two dead dolphins now lying on the French Embassy's steps represent just a tiny part of a massive problem. Governments on both sides of the Channel should act immediately to protect these animals and ban pair trawling now."
Further information
For more information, contact the Greenpeace press office on 020 7865 8255. For more about the Esperanza's tour visit www.greenpeace.org.uk/oceans
