EU proposes ban on drift net fishing

The European Union’s executive has proposed to ban the use of drift nets in EU waters and on its vessels anywhere by the end of the year to better enforce the protection of dolphins and other sea mammals, sea turtles and bluefin tuna.

Drift nets stretching for miles close to the surface are often responsible for the incidental capture and death of thousands of marine animals that are important to the ecosystem but have little commercial value.