Apart from hunting, the primary causes of the extermination of whales and dolphins are the fishing nets. Cetacean and other animals, like seat turtles for example, are imprisoned in the nets and drown because they can’t reach the surface to breathe.
For every 10 captured fish, 8 are thrown back in the sea, dead or agonising.
The tuna-fishing boats in the Mediterranean kill from 2.000 to 3.000 cetaceans every year. Also the so called sanctuaries, protected areas where cetaceans should be safe, are sometimes only a misleading word.
Ghost fishing gear, like lost net pieces, are scattered in the seas and keep on being a cause of death for marine mammals and sea turtles. Animals found dead in the nets are often sold to restaurants without scruple, or their derivatives are sold on the black market.
