about a thousand Moroccan fishing boats Fish in the Alboran Sea, near Spanish waters illegal networks that killed many people marine mammals protected. This was condemned by environmental organizations, who accused Spanish and European authorities of inaction.
The marine conservation associations Alnitak and Equinac reported to the General Directorate of Civil Guards the status of illegal fishing in the Alboran Sea and They urged the Spanish Government and the European Union to take the necessary measures. enforcing regulations on pirated fishing nets and preventing the importation of this fish into the EU.
Alnitak and Equinac have been fishing illegal nets, the so-called “death screens”, that have caused the accidental capture of thousands of marine mammals and other endangered species aboard the research fishing vessel ‘Toftevaag’ since early May.
‘Toftevaag’ from Alnitak spent the entire month of May launching an expedition in the Alboran Sea to block illegal nets. During the first twenty days of the month, this expedition has already managed to register six net anglers and extract four ghost fishing gear used in drift net fishing.
Both associations provide: Currently, there are 940 ships and 2,200 kilometers of illegal nets in Morocco’s Mediterranean ports.
“We hope that with this complaint neither pirate fishermen nor institutions responsible for enforcing laws, Like the Ministry of Ecological Transition, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and DGMARE,” he said.
The action of this being protests expressed by the Spanish fishing fleet due to the passivity of the national authorities and the community against illegal fishing with pelagic nets in Morocco, Algeria and Italy.
The center is full of injured animals
Eva María Morón, coordinator of the Equinac marine fauna rescue center, a nonprofit NGO dedicated to saving marine animals, said, “As every year, the center is saturated by the large numbers of cetaceans and sea turtles that reach the shores of Almería, victims of entanglement in these nets.”.
Scientific work submitted to ICATT Already in 2005 reported the significant impact of these networks on the Moroccan fleet, thousands of dolphins and turtles and tens of thousands of sharks die every year in connection with this.
“Following this work, the US and EU paid the Kingdom of Morocco more than 15m euros for the conversion of its fleet and the elimination of these networks, which have already been banned in the Mediterranean since 2001. happened,” conservation organizations said in a statement.
They also note that since 2010 the Spanish long line fleet has informed the Spanish authorities, Brussels, ICCAT and the General Fisheries Council of the Mediterranean about the increasing presence of vessels using these nets throughout North Africa and even by Calabria. Italy) fishing fleet.
Likewise, using a modeling a year ago follow back Conducted to strand protected species in various nets, Alnitak conducted a campaign in the Alboran Sea to find out if this pirate hunting really existed. “The results of this campaign have confirmed the illegal activities of nearly 1,000 ships, demonstrating a devastating reality. More than 2,200 km of illegal networks, more than double what it was before 2010”says Sagarminaga.
Alnitak submitted data and images of his campaign to the Spanish Government, European Commission, ICCAT and GFCM, confirming the “lack of political will to confront this situation that poses the main threat to the protected megafauna of the Mediterranean”. . . “Conclusion shame to ignore with what is going on on our coasts and even in our jurisdictions,” Sagarminaga commented.
This activist is also part of Alnitak’s over three decades of monitoring program for protected species. significant decline in cetacean populations More than 60% reduction in the size of family units and flocks of species such as dolphins or pilot whales in the Alboran Sea region.
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Contact address of the environment department: [email protected]