Exploration Findings Along the Baltic Shoreline

In recent weeks, the gruesome discovery of dismembered bottlenose dolphins has been made along the Baltic Sea coast between Boltenhagen and Groß Schwansee. The dolphins, found with clean cuts and visible net marks, suggest they were caught in fishing nets before being dismembered and discarded back into the sea.

This disturbing incident is a direct indication of fishing bycatch, a significant threat to bottlenose dolphins. According to Lena Hohls from BUND Klützer Winkel, the act of dismembering and discarding the dolphins back into the sea is a clear indication of marine conservation issues.

Bottlenose dolphins, when caught in gillnets, are unable to surface for air and die in the net. This method of fishing is a known issue internationally, and it appears to have claimed the lives of these endangered marine mammals.

The Baltic Sea bottlenose dolphins are protected under EU and German law, yet their numbers are declining dramatically, and they are critically endangered. Marine conservationists have found detached dolphin parts in the Lübeck Bay in previous years, indicating a persistent problem.

BUND, the German branch of Friends of the Earth, has called for the use of alternative fishing gear and a strict ban on gillnets in all areas where bottlenose dolphins still occur. Any bycatch in a fishing net must be reported under EU law, but the fishermen responsible for the mutilation and removal of bottlenose dolphin dorsal fins on the German Baltic Sea coast remain unknown.

This incident serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for action to protect these vulnerable marine creatures. The dolphins' deaths and dismemberment are not just isolated incidents but a reflection of larger marine conservation issues that need immediate attention.