Bay of Biscay: what we know about the temporary fishing ban to protect dolphins.
Ban on leaving the port for hundreds of boats moored along the Atlantic coast. From Wednesday, January 22, and until February 20, all fishing vessels over eight meters, including foreign ones, are banned from going into the waters of the Bay of Biscay to catch sole, sardines and other whiting.
The measure, already applied in 2024, is a first victory for environmental associations. They have been campaigning for years to limit fishing in this immense maritime area, which extends from the Spanish border to the Breton coast, in order to reduce the mortality of dolphins , in full breeding season.
9,000 dolphins die in nets Each year, according to scientists from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), between 4,000 and 9,000 dolphins are accidentally caught by ships , and die in fishing nets, on the seabed or wash up on the shore. This figure is increasing according to ICES, from 6,600 in 2020 to 9,000 in 2022. This number, although very low compared to the total population of dolphins in the North Atlantic (around 630,000), remains above the ceiling not to be exceeded, in order to preserve the species in the long term . The so-called "common" dolphin is a protected species.
To listen to Virginie Lagarde Broadcast on 01/22/2025 Fishing closed for a month to 338 boats: "an injustice" for the Finistère fisheries committee*
*see end of post
7 min By staying at the quayside for a month, the fishermen are complying with a decision of the Council of State . Seized in 2021 by three associations, France Nature Environnement, Sea Shepherd and Défense des milieux aquatiques, the highest French administrative court ordered the State in March 2023 to put in place "measures for the spatial and temporal closure of fishing " in the Bay of Biscay.
In October 2023 , the former Secretary of State for the Sea, Hervé Berville, published a decree implementing a month-long fishing ban in winter. However, it authorised vessels equipped with on-board cameras and acoustic repellents that keep dolphins away from boats to deviate from this rule and continue fishing. This decree was also denounced before the Council of State by the same three associations and by the League for the Protection of Birds. They won their case. The exemptions were canceled.
On December 30, 2024, the Council of State confirmed the ban on fishing in the Bay of Biscay, in view of the encouraging results of the first ban period, in January 2024. The mortality of small cetaceans, including dolphins, has drastically decreased by 76% , according to the CNRS Pelagis marine mammal and bird observatory, based in La Rochelle.
Fishermen's unions estimate that around 300 vessels will be prevented from going to sea during this month. In an attempt to reassure them, the Minister for Ecological Transition indicated that, as in 2024, an envelope of 20 million euros has been budgeted to compensate the fishermen affected, but also the downstream part of the sector, fish sellers, wholesalers and ports, which recover taxes on seafood brought back by the boats.
Agnès Pannier-Runacher promises that fishermen will be compensated "to the tune of 80 to 85% of their turnover" . The account is not there for the Union du Mareyage Français. This professional organisation has estimated the loss of turnover linked to the temporary ban on fishing at 60 million euros, three times more than the envelope promised by the government. "The auctions have lost between 50 and 60% of their sales volume" during the first period of the fishing ban , in the winter of 2024, warns the director of the organization of fishermen producers of Aquitaine.s
The measure tested last year is being renewed from this Wednesday, January 22, to protect dolphins.
Virginie Lagarde, project manager at the Finistère Departmental Committee in Audierne, a specialist in the subject of accidental catches , discusses the closure of the Bay of Biscay for four weeks to 338 fishing boats over eight metres.
A measure which would have allowed a significant reduction in the number of accidental dolphin captures last year: 1,450 compared to more than 6,000 on average between 2017 and 2023.
An argument contested by Virginie Lagarde: " The population of common dolphins has been stable for 20 years in the Bay of Biscay. In terms of catches, we see peaks from one year to the next. And last year, the drop in strandings was observed over three months, before and after the closure ."
A closure that will cause the fishermen to lose at least 20% of their turnover (since the State compensation is 80%) but which will also have consequences for the entire sector: " On fishmongers, despite an aid mechanism, but also for net manufacturers and shipyards ."
Rough translation of Virginie Lagarde Broadcast above:
Fishing is now closed for the entire Atlantic coast, from Finistère to the Basque Country.
Hello Virginie Lagarde, Hello, you are responsible for the Departmental Fisheries Committee of Finistère in Audierne. You are specialized in accidental captures since it is to protect cetaceans that this new space-time closure has been renewed. This had already happened. Last year, to be precise, it concerns vessels which use pelagic trawls, pelagic trawls or even gillnets. And you, in the Fisheries Committee, are denouncing an injustice, why is that?
So, well, I work at the Finistère Fisheries Committee. I cover the whole department. An injustice because we are all closed and the fleet which is important and the arguments for docking this fleet are not strong enough for us and are not valid enough.
The common dolphin population has been stable for 20 years in the Bay of Biscay. The first scientific feedback on the 2020-24 closure therefore raises a lot of questions and the closure slows down the development of the lasting solutions that we are in the process of developing and implementing. So, before discussing these longer-term solutions, why do you say that there is uncertainty about the scientific data? Because what the defenders of this closure say is that we still have an impact which is visible. There were just under 1500 common dolphins who died by capture last year, while the annual average was over 6000 between 2017 and 2023, so it seems to be working then?
What about that? There are peaks so we don't question the figures, we question their interpretation. Obviously there are peaks. Years ago we had many more strandings than others, but last year for example, typically it's a year, there were fewer strandings there are there are, there are the figures have been better on the so just
So I explained that indeed there are peaks, it varies from one year to another, but typically, for example, last year when there was this year of closure, we observed a drop strandings. But not only that. Over the month of closure the trend was downward 3 months ago or 3 months at risk eh, January, February, March and less than the strandings in January, February and in March and and and the closure was in February. Yes, but how was this trend absent? And then? How could we explain such a decline between 2017, 2023 and 2024? Because the decline is still impressive.
There are, there are, there are some things, we are, we are rather delighted. Especially for decline when there is fishing. So because in January and March there was fishing like in previous years, we have boats that are already equipped with scare systems. So we can also perhaps explain a change in behavior of dolphins. We don't know, we are, we are looking, we can't. I can't tell you, these are the scares since we are in the process, we are asking for a scientific protocol. This year it will be done scientifically with data collection, but there are things that change. And typically last year we cannot attribute this drastic drop. That to the closure and and one of the solutions in the medium term, it will perhaps also be the use of more reflective nets so that the dolphins, the landmarks from further away Salif sea? are working on it, there we are working on it the dolphins detect the high parade agreement and we don't know why they still get caught in it, so we are working on it.
There we were sending lots of samples of bodies from high to the scientists and precisely in train.And we are in the process of studying all that because the scientists are that in fact the dolphins arrive quickly and if they spot the net at 5m, sometimes they don't have time to slow down, in quotes, so the idea would be that they lose rather at 20 25 M.
So let's talk about economics since there obviously the Money is the sinews of war. Fishermen are compensated up to 80% this year. 20000000 euros have been released. Obviously. I imagine that for you this is not enough and that it will still create losses which will have impacts for fishermen and the entire industry. Sufficient? I don't know. In any case, when you talk about 80% of a turnover, that, that, in any case, you, you, you see clearly that we are not at 100% of the turnover, eh. The there are winners and losers and finally winners. I can't talk about winners but there are people who have fishing strategies. The strategies of companies are so different in fishing, there are some that emerge without being too impacted and there are those that emerge very impacted. So in everything and in any case we cannot. To be satisfied for a, for a fishing fleet, for a fishing activity, for a food activity of, of, of, of, of a useful closure and of 'compensation.
That's right. It's just something that's not satisfying, it's so telling. And then with consequences also for shouting them out for the fishmongers, even if there are also aid mechanisms. Compensation. Exactly. There is a small mechanism for fishmongers and fishmongers which has been put in place, but there is a whole part of the sector which is completely forgotten. Well, net manufacturers for example, who have one month of orders per month over the year, it's huge. Especially since February is the most important month for them. Things for the construction sites, the construction sites, that's it. They have to carry out their activity over 11 months, more over 12 months, it has impacts which are very significant and and just normally this closure, it is planned to be renewed again in 2026. Afterwards normally in 2027 it will be finished.
I imagine that you will perhaps campaign for this not to be the case next year. Yes and and we are, we are on the job. So as I told you, we have already equipped boats with, of, of, of, of, of the wild ones. Which have been tested with the scientists. What we want is to find lasting solutions, solutions which allow cohabitation, which allow no impact on the dolphin population which is not at a dramatic stage eh. The common dolphin population is at the level of the IECN, so it is of minor interest. So, we cannot impact a fleet that much. First of all, we need to have common sense and then we need to keep these fishermen working and we can't close a 338 boat without thinking about the supplies they bring. for, for us, for us Bretons, for us French people who eat fish.And we will obviously follow all of this in the coming weeks and certainly in the coming months since this debate is not going to be resolved. obviously stop. Thank you Virginie Lagarde. I remind you that you are responsible for the Departmental Fisheries Committee of Finistère. Have a nice day,
7 min By staying at the quayside for a month, the fishermen are complying with a decision of the Council of State . Seized in 2021 by three associations, France Nature Environnement, Sea Shepherd and Défense des milieux aquatiques, the highest French administrative court ordered the State in March 2023 to put in place "measures for the spatial and temporal closure of fishing " in the Bay of Biscay.
In October 2023 , the former Secretary of State for the Sea, Hervé Berville, published a decree implementing a month-long fishing ban in winter. However, it authorised vessels equipped with on-board cameras and acoustic repellents that keep dolphins away from boats to deviate from this rule and continue fishing. This decree was also denounced before the Council of State by the same three associations and by the League for the Protection of Birds. They won their case. The exemptions were canceled.
On December 30, 2024, the Council of State confirmed the ban on fishing in the Bay of Biscay, in view of the encouraging results of the first ban period, in January 2024. The mortality of small cetaceans, including dolphins, has drastically decreased by 76% , according to the CNRS Pelagis marine mammal and bird observatory, based in La Rochelle.
Fishermen's unions estimate that around 300 vessels will be prevented from going to sea during this month. In an attempt to reassure them, the Minister for Ecological Transition indicated that, as in 2024, an envelope of 20 million euros has been budgeted to compensate the fishermen affected, but also the downstream part of the sector, fish sellers, wholesalers and ports, which recover taxes on seafood brought back by the boats.
Agnès Pannier-Runacher promises that fishermen will be compensated "to the tune of 80 to 85% of their turnover" . The account is not there for the Union du Mareyage Français. This professional organisation has estimated the loss of turnover linked to the temporary ban on fishing at 60 million euros, three times more than the envelope promised by the government. "The auctions have lost between 50 and 60% of their sales volume" during the first period of the fishing ban , in the winter of 2024, warns the director of the organization of fishermen producers of Aquitaine.
The measure tested last year is being renewed from this Wednesday, January 22, to protect dolphins.
The Finistère departmental fisheries committee denounces an injustice with consequences for the entire sector.
 |
| Virginie Lagarde, project manager at the Finistère Departmental Committee |
Virginie Lagarde, project manager at the Finistère Departmental Committee in Audierne, a specialist in the subject of accidental catches , discusses the closure of the Bay of Biscay for four weeks to 338 fishing boats over eight metres.
A measure which would have allowed a significant reduction in the number of accidental dolphin captures last year: 1,450 compared to more than 6,000 on average between 2017 and 2023.
An argument contested by Virginie Lagarde: " The population of common dolphins has been stable for 20 years in the Bay of Biscay. In terms of catches, we see peaks from one year to the next. And last year, the drop in strandings was observed over three months, before and after the closure ."
A closure that will cause the fishermen to lose at least 20% of their turnover (since the State compensation is 80%) but which will also have consequences for the entire sector: " On fishmongers, despite an aid mechanism, but also for net manufacturers and shipyards ."
Fishing is now closed for the entire Atlantic coast, from Finistère to the Basque Country.
Hello Virginie Lagarde, Hello, you are responsible for the Departmental Fisheries Committee of Finistère in Audierne. You are specialized in accidental captures since it is to protect cetaceans that this new space-time closure has been renewed. This had already happened. Last year, to be precise, it concerns vessels which use pelagic trawls, pelagic trawls or even gillnets. And you, in the Fisheries Committee, are denouncing an injustice, why is that?
So, well, I work at the Finistère Fisheries Committee. I cover the whole department. An injustice because we are all closed and the fleet which is important and the arguments for docking this fleet are not strong enough for us and are not valid enough.
The common dolphin population has been stable for 20 years in the Bay of Biscay. The first scientific feedback on the 2020-24 closure therefore raises a lot of questions and the closure slows down the development of the lasting solutions that we are in the process of developing and implementing. So, before discussing these longer-term solutions, why do you say that there is uncertainty about the scientific data? Because what the defenders of this closure say is that we still have an impact which is visible. There were just under 1500 common dolphins who died by capture last year, while the annual average was over 6000 between 2017 and 2023, so it seems to be working then?
What about that? There are peaks so we don't question the figures, we question their interpretation. Obviously there are peaks. Years ago we had many more strandings than others, but last year for example, typically it's a year, there were fewer strandings there are there are, there are the figures have been better on the so just
So I explained that indeed there are peaks, it varies from one year to another, but typically, for example, last year when there was this year of closure, we observed a drop strandings. But not only that. Over the month of closure the trend was downward 3 months ago or 3 months at risk eh, January, February, March and less than the strandings in January, February and in March and and and the closure was in February. Yes, but how was this trend absent? And then? How could we explain such a decline between 2017, 2023 and 2024? Because the decline is still impressive.
There are, there are, there are some things, we are, we are rather delighted. Especially for decline when there is fishing. So because in January and March there was fishing like in previous years, we have boats that are already equipped with scare systems. So we can also perhaps explain a change in behavior of dolphins. We don't know, we are, we are looking, we can't. I can't tell you, these are the scares since we are in the process, we are asking for a scientific protocol. This year it will be done scientifically with data collection, but there are things that change. And typically last year we cannot attribute this drastic drop. That to the closure and and one of the solutions in the medium term, it will perhaps also be the use of more reflective nets so that the dolphins, the landmarks from further away Salif sea? are working on it, there we are working on it the dolphins detect the high parade agreement and we don't know why they still get caught in it, so we are working on it.
There we were sending lots of samples of bodies from high to the scientists and precisely in train.And we are in the process of studying all that because the scientists are that in fact the dolphins arrive quickly and if they spot the net at 5m, sometimes they don't have time to slow down, in quotes, so the idea would be that they lose rather at 20 25 M.
So let's talk about economics since there obviously the Money is the sinews of war. Fishermen are compensated up to 80% this year. 20000000 euros have been released. Obviously. I imagine that for you this is not enough and that it will still create losses which will have impacts for fishermen and the entire industry. Sufficient? I don't know. In any case, when you talk about 80% of a turnover, that, that, in any case, you, you, you see clearly that we are not at 100% of the turnover, eh. The there are winners and losers and finally winners. I can't talk about winners but there are people who have fishing strategies. The strategies of companies are so different in fishing, there are some that emerge without being too impacted and there are those that emerge very impacted. So in everything and in any case we cannot. To be satisfied for a, for a fishing fleet, for a fishing activity, for a food activity of, of, of, of, of a useful closure and of 'compensation.
That's right. It's just something that's not satisfying, it's so telling. And then with consequences also for shouting them out for the fishmongers, even if there are also aid mechanisms. Compensation. Exactly. There is a small mechanism for fishmongers and fishmongers which has been put in place, but there is a whole part of the sector which is completely forgotten. Well, net manufacturers for example, who have one month of orders per month over the year, it's huge. Especially since February is the most important month for them. Things for the construction sites, the construction sites, that's it. They have to carry out their activity over 11 months, more over 12 months, it has impacts which are very significant and and just normally this closure, it is planned to be renewed again in 2026. Afterwards normally in 2027 it will be finished.
I imagine that you will perhaps campaign for this not to be the case next year. Yes and and we are, we are on the job. So as I told you, we have already equipped boats with, of, of, of, of, of the wild ones. Which have been tested with the scientists. What we want is to find lasting solutions, solutions which allow cohabitation, which allow no impact on the dolphin population which is not at a dramatic stage eh. The common dolphin population is at the level of the IECN, so it is of minor interest. So, we cannot impact a fleet that much. First of all, we need to have common sense and then we need to keep these fishermen working and we can't close a 338 boat without thinking about the supplies they bring. for, for us, for us Bretons, for us French people who eat fish.And we will obviously follow all of this in the coming weeks and certainly in the coming months since this debate is not going to be resolved. obviously stop. Thank you Virginie Lagarde. I remind you that you are responsible for the Departmental Fisheries Committee of Finistère. Have a nice day,
