Fishermen Blamed for Surge in Deaths of Dolphins and Whales
Scientists have reported a surge in the number of dead whales, dolphins and porpoises washing up on Cornish shores after lethal encounters with nets and other fishing gear.
They found that since 2000 the numbers of cetaceans found dead has increased fivefold with up to 250 being found on Cornish beaches each year.
This is likely to be only a tiny fraction of the total deaths since tides carry most carcasses onto French shores or out to sea...
The figures mean that Britain’s cetaceans, all supposedly under legal protection, are being killed far faster than anyone had realised, at least in the southwest.
Dr Brendan Godley, a marine biologist at Exeter University, who did the study, said: “Many people were shocked by the recent dolphin strandings in Cornwall but the important message is that strandings have increased in recent years and that the majority are attributable to fisheries.”
