EU to ban driftnet fishing

The EU has announced plans to impose a full ban on driftnet fishing in European waters because of concerns about threats posed to protected species.

A driftnet is a type of fishing net that drifts close to the surface of the water and protected species such as turtles and some kinds of sea birds and mammals are getting caught in them.

While there are already some restrictions in driftnets in place, concerns persist about the impact of their use and there are continued reports of fishermen using the nets illegally, or taking advantage of loopholes in the regulations.

As a result, the EU has proposed a full ban on driftnets from 1st January 2015 – to help enforce the rules, keeping driftnets on board fishing boats in Europe will also be banned, and the definition of what constitutes a driftnet has been refined.

Driftnet fishing is currently carried out in several EU countries, including Portugal, Slovenia and the UK.