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Northern Spanish region of Asturias is becoming a cetacean graveyard

The Asturian coast is the main scenario of an increase of dead dolphins being washed up on the beaches during this year. The Coordinator Ecoloxista d’Asturies and the Coordinator for the Study and Protection of Marine Species (Cepesma) agree to alert the Principality on this increase since, compared to previous years, the number is much higher.

So far, 39 dolphins have washed up to shores of several beaches in the region.

“55% of deaths are due to fishing activity,” explains Luis Laria, president of Cepesma. “When dolphins become entangled in fishing nets and are held underwater by the entanglement they drown.”

But the main cause of this increase on Asturian beaches is the storm. This is what Laria explains.

“There are cetaceans that die 20 or 30 miles from the coast, but the number of storms that have occurred during this winter is determining when explaining why they wash up to our coasts.”

Even so, the increase is worrisome. Last week, 11 dolphins washed up lifeless on the region.

Until 2015 the Cepesma was in charge of collecting the corpses and carrying out the necropsies, but now that task corresponds directly to personnel of the Principality and they just update the count of these marine corpses.

“Necropsies are not currently being done. Necropsies are of vital importance in determining if something else is really happening,” insists Laria.

Fructuoso Pontigo, a spokesperson for the Ecoloxista d’Asturies Coordinator, relates these incidents to the irresponsible practice of fishermen.

“The dead or dying specimens occurs when they are hoisted to the boats then thrown overboard as discards, ending up on our beaches,” he explains.

A problem that, he says, has been trying to mitigate for many years. Therefore, they urge the Government of Asturias to undertake the necessary changes for the adoption of measures by the fisheries on the Asturian coast to reduce the number of these deaths.

  • Verify the presence of dolphins when fishing operations are being carried out
  • Do not cast the nets if there are dolphins in the vicinity of the boat, especially at night
  • To force the boats to move to another fishing area if it is not possible to avoid the death of cetaceans.

“We cannot depend on the goodwill of the people and associations that try to reduce the number of deaths, from the lack of means, this institutional abandonment with its legal obligations with the marine wildlife”, said Pontigo.

Nor do they forget badly wounded dolphins washed on the coast and could recover, but according to Pontigo, in Asturias are condemned to certain death.

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