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Italy: Fishers hand over driftnets |
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Tuesday, 24 August 2010 08:50 |
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Fishermen in the Italian port of Bagnara Calabra, in the region of Calabria, on the western tip of southern Italy have handed over to the authorities 250 km of driftnets used for the capture of swordfish, reports the marine conservation organization Oceana. While hailing the move Oceana points out drift nets were banned in the EU eight years ago and that other types of illegal drift nets are still being used causing the unnecessary death of numbers of cetaceans and turtles. Driftnets are a passive gear that can be up to 20 km long and up to 35 m high, and are popular for their ease of use. In Italy two types of driftnets are used, one for the capture of swordfish and the other for albacore and frigate tuna, and despite being handed over in Bagnara Calabra, they are still widely deployed by boats from other ports in Calabria and on Sicily.
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