Thousands of dead dolphins have been washing up on the shores of the UK and France’s west coast. Sadly, human activities are most likely responsible due to the intensive industrial fishing industry that has been increasingly dominating the area. 

According to the Pélagis Observatory, an average of 6,000 dolphins are killed each year along France’s west coast by industrial trawlers fishing for bass, noting that the number can be as high as 10,000. Researchers also recorded the fact that a whopping 800 deceased dolphins can be found in the Bay of Biscay in a single month. 

Dolphins become entangled in fishing nets, an unintentionally tragic yet common occurrence that is casually referred to as “bycatch” by the fishing industry. The suffering dolphins experience agonizing deaths, as do the fish themselves, and are often thrown back into the water once they die or while clinging to life. This terrible situation is made worse by the fishing industry’s rapacious desire for profits at the expense of dolphins, the marine ecosystem, and the targeted bass fish themselves. 

Rejecting seafood and going vegan is the most effective way to stop these cruel industries in their tracks. Please support our critical advocacy work to protect dolphins and whales by making a donation.