Environmental groups continue to allege widespread illegal use of driftnets in the Mediterranean Sea.The use of driftnets — fishing nets, sometimes kilometers long, that drift with the ocean currents — is prohibited to catch large pelagic species like swordfish.Highlighting that current measures lack adequate definitions and enforcement provisions, the European Union presented a proposal to strengthen international restrictions on driftnet fishing at the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas technical meeting in June.Morocco, one of the countries most criticized for the use of illegal large driftnets, has emerged as a strong supporter of the proposal.
Driftnets, vertically hanging nets that drift with ocean currents and can stretch for kilometers, are used to catch large pelagic species such as swordfish and tuna. However, they have long drawn criticism from conservationists as they also capture and kill sharks, turtles, dolphins and other marine wildlife.
For decades, debate has raged about use of the large nets. It’s a particularly contentious issue in the Mediterranean Sea, an important migration corridor that faces considerable pressure from overfishing, pollution and climate change.
