Dead sharks on Merseyside beach prompt calls for fishing net ban

A petition to ban a type of fishing has been launched after 25 dead sharks were found washed up on a stretch of beach.

Mick Preston, who found them on Leasowe Beach in Wirral, said he wanted gill net fishing to be banned due to dangers posed to sharks and other marine life.

North Western Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities (NWIFCA) are currently investigating the issue.
Wallasey MP Angela Eagle has also written to the Department of Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs.
Gill nets are designed to catch fish by their gills

Mr Preston, who lives in Meols, said: "We need gill-netting banned. Every year dead porpoises, seals, and various fish, often referred to as by-catch, are always washed up on our beaches.

"This is not acceptable for the tourism of our coastline nor is it acceptable for the people who live here and frequent the beaches with kids and families."

He added: "The River Mersey and surrounding waters of Wirral and Liverpool have seen a dramatic battle against pollution. Now we are getting nearer to a cleaner river, we have seen so many new species of fish and mammals returning to the coastline.

"This has encouraged them to use the areas as breeding grounds but how long before these are not present in our waters anymore?"

Another local resident, Mathew Bett, reported seeing dead fish on the beach on 21 May.
He estimated between "40 to 50 spread from Leasowe Lighthouse to the channel just by Leasowe Castle", all with injured gills.

An NWIFCA spokesperson previously said: "Under current local and national legislation, it is not illegal to fish using gill nets on foot in the Mersey Estuary, nor discard unwanted by-catch from those nets.

"NWIFCA officers regularly patrol the area and conduct inspections of this fishery to ensure compliance with specific regulations regarding the physical make-up of the nets in use.

"As a modern regulator, we are keen to receive and review evidence which enables us to consider how best to manage and regulate inshore fishing activity in the future.

"We would ask that any members of the public who have concerns regarding any fishing activity in the area contact us."

Source BBC Merseyside