BOLTON Euro-MP Chris Davies has called for acoustic warning devices to be fitted to fishing vessels to prevent dolphins and porpoises becoming trapped in nets.
The Government today announced they were considering the obligatory use of pingers on British vessels but Mr Davies, the Lib Dem environment spokesman in the European Parliament, wants the proposal extended to include all EU fishing vessels.
He said: "The Commission has been trying to establish the exact cause of dolphin deaths but so far has not got a clear answer. In the meantime, we are putting at risk the survival of these creatures in European waters.
"This is a Europe-wide problem and even with our limited knowledge we should take whatever measures seem most likely to produce positive results."
In 2002, a total of 649 dolphins were washed up on British shores. A proportion of these deaths were due to the mammals becoming trapped on fishing nets.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article