Robert Besser
23 Mar 2023, 23:16 GMT+10
PARIS, France: Amidst the mass deaths of dolphins and porpoises in recent years, France's highest administrative body has ordered the government to better protect endangered whales, dolphins and porpoises, in an industrial fishing hub in the Atlantic Ocean.
The move was welcomed by conservationists, who have ben working to prevent some species in the zone from becoming extinct.
France's council of state gave government officials six months "to close areas of fishing in the Bay of Biscay for appropriate periods, in order to limit the number of deaths of common dolphins, bottlenose dolphins and harbor porpoises that are victims of accidental capture during fishing."
It also required them to compile a reliable estimate of the annual number of accidental catches.
According to government-affiliated scientists, some 10,000 dolphins and porpoises are killed every year in that maritime zone in western France, with one recent year recording 18,000 deaths. The fishing industry is widely blamed for the deaths.
It was noted that some species are now in a state of "unfavorable conservation," with the common dolphin and harbor porpoise in "serious danger of extinction" in the region.
"Of course, this move is a ray of hope for us, but it is bittersweet. So many dolphins are already dead, we see dead creatures washed up every day. I hope it is not too late. We have come so far. Even a few years ago in France, no one knew about these horrors," said Lamya Essemlali of Sea Shepherd France, as quoted by the Associated Press.
However, conservation groups stressed that dolphins in the fishing zone are already behaving in ways scientifically consistent with a dying population.
Get a daily dose of Miami Mirror news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Miami Mirror.
More InformationBEIJING, China: On his return to China after a three year absence, which is his company's largest production hub, Tesla ...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks surged on Friday on the debt ceiling resolution and a strong jobs report.Nonfarm ...
SANTA CLARA, California: As investors piled more capital into Nvidia, the chipmaker that has become one of the biggest winners ...
PARIS, France: France has celebrated the groundbreaking for the first of four battery manufacturing gigafactories, which European and Asian companies ...
DUBLIN, Ireland: Ireland saw a 20.0 percent increase in people arriving from overseas in April 2023, compared to April 2022, ...
NEW DELHI, India: Indian federal police documents indicate that the country has filed a graft case against the UK's BAE ...
KATHMANDU, Nepal - For the past three days, agitated students and guardians have been protesting against the school administration at ...
BEIJING, China: In a new sign of strain between the United States and China, Beijing has rejected a request from ...
GOWER, Missouri: Hundreds of people flocked to the small town of Gower, Missouri, to see a mummified nun, Sister Wilhelmina ...
TOKYO, Japan: After coming under public criticism for using Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's residence for a private party, his ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency has announced that 2nd Lt. James Litherland of South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, an Army ...
DHAKA, Bangladesh - The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed a case against 13 members of Grameen Telecom's board of directors, ...