The controversial Pelagic Freezer-Trawlers that have been fishing off the coast of Donegal have been blamed for the rise in dead dolphins being washed up on our shores.
A dozen Super-trawlers’ including the second largest in the world – the FV Magiris have been trawling off the coast of Donegal in January and early February.
The presence of these Super-trawlers sparked a furious reaction from local fishermen – who hamstringed by legislation and quotas are unable to fish in their own waters.
This effectively ruined their livelihoods and their industry – and has decimated many fishing communities in Donegal.
However, The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) have claimed that these Super-trawlers are also to blame for the sharp increase of deaths in Dolphins off the coast of Donegal.
Mick O’Connell, IWDG strandings officer, told The Irish Daily Mirror, “Many of the dolphins found recently, particularly in counties Mayo, Sligo, and Donegal, show obvious signs of being caught in fishing nets.
“This trend of a huge increase in strandings of common dolphins on the northwest coast during January and February is ongoing since 2011.”
While small numbers of stranded dolphins showing signs of bycatch [marine species caught unintentionally] have been occasionally recorded from around the coast previously, we have never seen anything like the scale of the now apparently annual carnage on our northwest coast.
“It is important to remember that the number of bycaught dolphins that actually get washed ashore and recorded as stranded may only be a small percentage of the actual number of dead animals.”
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