The macabre discoveries continue. Several dozen dolphin carcasses have been found on the beaches of the Atlantic coast since Saturday, a new "massive" stranding that environmental associations attribute to weather conditions and "very strong fishing pressure".

On the beaches of the island of Ré (Charente-Maritime), at least fifteen of these cetaceans have washed up in the last three days, said Monday Dominique Chevillon, president of the association Ré Nature Environment and vice-president of the League for the Protection of Birds (LPO). Journalists saw five carcasses Monday morning.

400 cetaceans found since December 1st

Citing the feedback from members of the LPO, which regularly warns about the multiplication of strandings this year, this official estimates at "about 200" the number of specimens found in recent hours on the beaches of the Bay of Biscay. The Pelagis Observatory, which has been recording cetacean strandings on the Atlantic coast since 1970, acknowledges the extent of the phenomenon but without having a "precise figure".

"With the wind this weekend, a lot of strandings were observed. Our researchers are on the ground right now, evacuating them and cataloguing them," a Pelagis spokeswoman said. Some 400 small cetaceans had already been found stranded on the Atlantic coast from Dec. 1 to Feb. 15, according to Pelagis. Most (90%) were common dolphins, a protected species, and a "large majority" showed "traces of capture in fishing gear".

The majority of strandings occur in February and March

"It confirms the massive peak on the Bay of Biscay," says Dominique Chevillon, who highlights the strong west wind that pushed the carcasses towards the coast and a "very strong fishing pressure".

"The broken teeth on this rostrum are probably a human injury," said Jean-Roch Meslin, correspondent for the National Network strandings on the island of Ré, while examining a stranded female. Some carcasses had gaping wounds or traces on the fins, the journalists found.

The majority of strandings usually occur in February and March, when dolphins move closer to shore to find their food and therefore have the most interaction with fishermen, according to these associations.

Faced with NGOs and scientists calling for a temporary interruption of fishing, the government has so far favoured measures to document the phenomenon and technical solutions, such as on-board cameras or repellents on boats.

  • Dolphin
  • Fishing
  • New Aquitaine
  • Poitou-Charentes
  • Atlantic Ocean
  • Planet