‘Barbaric’ French fishermen have carved a homophobic slur onto the side of a dolphin, say environmental campaigners who claim it is an attempt to insult them as they demand tougher fishing rules.
Ocean defence NGO Sea Shepherd France said the animals washed up in Les Sables d’Olonnes on the west coast of the country.
The conservation group shared horrific images of the brutal attack online, showing carvings of a mispelled ‘Sea Sheperd’ and ‘PD’ – which is short for pédé, a derogatory term in France for gay men.
The bodies of the dolphins were publicly exhibited by the group at the old port in La Rochelle on Sunday as shocked crowds, including children, gathered round to look at the sea creatures.
Sea Shepherd said in a tweet: ‘Stop overfishing. Eat less fish. Save the ocean. And future generations.’
Sea Shepherd shared horrific images of the brutal attack online, showing carvings of a mispelled ‘Sea Sheperd’ and ‘PD’ – which is short for pédé, a derogatory term in France for gay men
The bodies of the dolphins were publicly exhibited by the group at the old port in La Rochelle on Sunday as shocked crowds, including children, gathered round
They told the Telegraph: ‘What a shame for the whole profession on which they discredit.
‘It’s a carnage. We will not give up until there are concrete measures to save these dolphins.’
The group has requested an investigation into the attacks and filed a complaint for the mutilation of a protected species.
It comes amid ongoing tension between the group and the fishermen over fishing rights in the Bay of Biscay. Sea Shepherd claim the attacks on the dolphins are a response to their demands for less fishing.
Sea Shepherd estimate that 6,000 dolphins are caught and killed each year on France’s west coast by industrial trawlers and fishing vessels.
The group wants the government to close areas they are most at risk for four months to find out how many are accidentally getting caught in fishing nets.
These are known as ‘bycatch’ and French fishermen have to declare them by law.
But the reality is that most are not owned up to, according to the group’s lawyer.
‘Barbaric’ French fishermen have carved a homophobic slur onto the side of a dolphin, an environmental group has claimed
Sea Shepherd estimate that 6,000 dolphins are caught and killed each year on France’s west coast
Since December 370 dolphins have washed ashore and only 30 were recorded as bycatch.
In January this year, the NGO filed a complaint after six mutiliated dolphins were found on French beaches.
Layma Essemlali, President of Sea Shepherd France said: ‘The sea never stops throwing up the corpses of dolphins, captured by fishing gear.
‘When the latter are mutilated, it is because they have either been eaten or the victims of an attempt to sink them to hide the evidence of capture,’
Sea Shepherd has been an ocean defence NGO since 1977 and works ‘actively and non-violently’ to prevent illegal attacks on marine eco-systems.
They have been patrolling the seas for the past six years to gather data and raise awareness for the numbers of dolphin deaths that occur.
