In France’s Bay of Biscay, around 6,100 dolphins were dying every year, drowned in fishing nets they were never meant to be caught in. When France paused fishing for just four weeks in 2024, that winter’s deaths fell to about 1,450 (The Fishing Daily, citing the French government). Bycatch can be prevented.
The gear exists. The law just skips most boats.
Acoustic pingers and net lights help keep dolphins, turtles and sharks out of nets. Lights on gillnets have cut turtle bycatch by up to about 93% in some studies (Convention on Migratory Species). But EU rules require pingers only on boats of 12 metres or more, in certain seas, and dolphin bycatch monitoring only on boats of 15 metres or more. More than 76% of Europe’s fishing fleet is under 12 metres (Seas At Risk). Most boats are left out.
This isn’t the fishermen’s fault. It’s a gap in the law, and it ends up on all our plates. Every time we buy fish, we are part of this problem.
We call on the European Parliament and the European Commission to:
- Extend bycatch prevention and monitoring rules to fishing boats under 12 metres.
- Fund small-scale fishers to switch to gear that keeps dolphins, turtles and sharks out of their nets, so protecting marine life never costs them their living.
- Help people choose seafood caught without bycatch.
Fishers keep their living. Dolphins stay alive. And we only catch what we aimed for.
Who is behind this petition. Light Up the Law is a NOCATCH campaign. NOCATCH started in Peru, where our cofounder Paula saw bycatch up close: “In my country, Peru, bycatch has gone out of control, but it affects us all around the world. We all can do something about it.” We are six student cofounders from Mexico, Peru, India and Portugal, building a self-charging light that clips onto fishing nets to keep marine life out. None of these asks requires our product. We only ask that preventing bycatch becomes the rule. Our Portuguese cofounder, Marta, will file this petition with the European Parliament, with your signatures as support.
Learn more: nocatch.org · Contact: [email protected]