Most of those dolphins would drown if caught in the nets of fishing boats. The injuries to the tail and fins are mainly the result of attempts to escape from the nets.
The increase may have to do with new nets and techniques from fishermen in the Bay of Biscay – between Brittany and the north coast of Spain – to fish for bass. It is not the intention to catch the dolphins, but they will get caught in the nets. They are mammals and so they have to gasp for air on the surface.
French law requires fishermen to report the number of accidentally caught mammals and unwanted fish, but this is hardly observed. Animal rights activists now also want to restrict fishing in a number of zones and install a sound system that would keep dolphins away from fishing vessels.
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