Posted on 31 August
2009 - Rome, Italy - - The practice has
been banned in the Mediterranean since 2003,
yet a large fleet of driftnets –
fishing nets up to 14km in length that drift
with the tide or current and catch almost
anything in their path – continues to operate
business as usual in Morocco, targeting
swordfish for the European market.
This illegal fishing
is likely to have caused the accidental
deaths of as many as 20,000 dolphins and
more than 100,000 sharks in the past five
years alone, says WWF.
Fisheries experts from
WWF recently visited Morocco where they
were told by driftnet fishermen that no
changes in the fishing activity of this
illegal fleet had occurred in the past few
years – despite international prohibitions.
“Fragile ocean life
is still being destroyed by widespread driftnet
fishing – against the law – in Moroccan
waters,” said Dr Sergi Tudela, Head of Fisheries
at WWF Mediterranean.
“This lack of compliance
by Moroccan fleets not only undermines the
credibility of the international fisheries
management governance system, but also takes
an unacceptable toll on marine biodiversity.”
“Thousands of dolphins
and sharks – and loggerhead turtles, an
endangered species – are caught up in these
walls of death in the Mediterranean every
year,” continued Tudela. “WWF demands action
by those responsible for sustainable fisheries
management in the region to stop the slaughter.”
Fishing with large-scale
driftnets has been internationally banned
by the United Nations since 1991. In 2003,
the International Commission for the Conservation
of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) adopted a more
rigorous regulation, banning the use of
any driftnets, irrespective of size, for
capturing large fish in the Mediterranean
Sea.
In 2003, WWF released
the results of a field study that showed
the presence of at least 177 driftnet vessels
in northern Morocco that used large-scale
gears and targeted swordfish for export
to the European market. The study also estimated
an accidental catch by driftnets of 4,000
dolphins every year in the Mediterranean
Sea alone.
Since 2003, Morocco
has repeatedly promised to phase out its
driftnet fleet, but has still not done so.
According to UN and ICCAT resolutions, this
fishery thus fully qualifies as illegal,
unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing.
And in January 2010,
the European Commission’s Regulation on
IUU will enter into force, which prohibits
the importation of fishery products obtained
from IUU fishing into the European Union
(EU).
The EU has even made
available to Morocco a total of € 3.75 million
for the phase-out of driftnets, and WWF
urges the European Commission to demand
reports from Morocco on its use of EU public
funds for the specific purpose of phasing
out its driftnet fleet.
“The current illegal
driftnet fishery in Morocco, targeting swordfish
for the European market, is a test-case
for the credibility of the EU’s determination
to fight illegal fishing,” continued Dr
Tudela.
“WWF urges the European
Commission to send a strong signal to Morocco
about its political commitment to stamp
out illegal fishing – or fully apply the
IUU Regulation in January 2010.”
