An investigation has been launched by France and the European Union after plenty of lifeless fish had been discovered floating within the Bay of Biscay. Environmental group Sea Shepherd, which works to guard marine life, posted pictures of tens of 1000’s of lifeless fish on the floor of the ocean close to southwest France.
On Thursday the group posted pictures of the incident on Twitter saying: “That is what is going on proper now within the Bay of Biscay off La Rochelle. 4 manufacturing unit ships function within the space, together with the Margiris, the second largest trawler on the earth (banned in Australia).”
EU reacting ‘instantly’
France’s Maritime Minister Annick Girardin expressed shock after seeing the photographs and ordered the Nationwide Heart for Fishing Surveillance to research the matter.
The EU’s commissioner for the Surroundings, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevicius, stated the bloc was reacting “instantly” to the “large discards of fish.”
“We’re launching an inquiry to nationwide authorities of the fishing space and presumed flag state of the vessel, to get exhaustive data and proof concerning the case,” Sinkevicius stated in a Tweet.
‘Tear in web’ accountable for incident
The Pelagic Freezer-Trawler Affiliation represents the Lithuanian flagged trawler known as FV Margiris. In an announcement issued on Friday, the affiliation stated the fish had been “involuntarily launched into the ocean” as a consequence of a tear in one of many trawlers nets.
“Such an accident is a uncommon prevalence, and on this case was brought on by the unexpectedly massive measurement of the fish caught,” the affiliation defined.It went on to say that the matter had been logged and reported to the suitable authority.
Nevertheless, Sea Shepherd stated it suspected it was a deliberate act to discharge a sort of fish that it didn’t need to course of. The practise is named discharging bycatch and is banned beneath EU fishing guidelines.
The lifeless fish had been largely blue whiting, a sub-species of cod, used within the mass manufacturing of fish fingers, fish oil and meal.
kb/aw (AP, Reuters)