By-catches PDF Print E-mail
The European sturgeon, strictly protected in French waters since 1982, is no longer targeted by commercial fisheries.  However major risks of accidental catch exist both at sea and in the Gironde basin during legally operating fishing of other species (sole, skate, langoustine, etc.).  Indeed, sturgeons frequent coastal waters that constitute major fishing grounds for fleets out to catch numerous species that are fished on a commercial basis, alongside which the sturgeon lives.  The latter is a bottom-feeding fish and so may be caught by different fishing gear, mainly benthic trawlers and their dredge and entangling nets.  Sturgeon mortality caused by these accidental catches constitute today one of the major threats to the species. 
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And yet, experience has shown that a trapped sturgeon thanks to its robustness and proven resistance to this type of trauma, is more often than not (2/3 of the time) brought to the surface alive, whatever the type of fishing gear.  The reaction and decision of the fishermen is therefore a determining factor.  Apart from the Gironde estuary or its periphery, since the release of alevins in 2007 and 2008, the catching of a European sturgeon remains a rare event.  Given the alarming situation of the population in its natural environment (estimated today at just a few hundred reproductive adults), the survival of each specimen counts.  Even if accidental mortality is sometimes inevitable, it is of capital importance that the fisherman does everything possible in order that the fish survives.  Fishermen have an important role to play in the protection of the species and the future of the European sturgeon does indeed depend on fishermen being well informed and involved in its protection.
 
To back this up and in order to increase the reproductive adults' chances of returning to their original river, several information and awareness campaigns among people associated with the sea and rivers were carried out in France over the last two decades.  The last one, carried out from 2006 by the CNPMEM, was not limited to the river and estuary system of the River Gironde and coastlines of the Bay of Biscay and the Channel, but also targeted the species’ European range.  With the exception of the Gironde basin in France where particular instructions are adhered to by local fishermen, the European sturgeon caught accidentally at sea should be released immediately and the European network of partners should then be notified of this accidental catch.
Last Updated on Saturday, 07 November 2009 20:43