To preserve biodiversity and protect whales and dolphins, the European Parliament hosted an expert meeting in Brussels.
Dr. Lorenzo von Fersen (Chair of YAQU PACHA) was invited to this event and reported on our projects to reduce bycatch of dolphin species such as the critically endangered La Plata dolphin —Franciscana—and our strategies for preventing bycatch. In this work, YAQU PACHA collaborates closely with fishermen and fishing communities.
The event was organized by MEP Gabriel Mato and the Loro Parque Foundation in collaboration with the IUCN Species Survival Commission and WAZA. Alongside researchers Javier Almunia Portolés, Boris Culik, and Lorenzo von Fersen, Martin Böye, the scientific director of our partner Planète Sauvage, presented on the collaboration between zoos, researchers, and fishermen. He reported on the strategies developed to counteract the bycatch of dolphins and whales in fishing nets. Professor Boris Culik presented the results of his work on protecting dolphins using acoustic signals (pingers) to keep them away from fishing nets.
We are very pleased that our organization is involved in such important European Parliament projects aimed at conserving biodiversity.
