The trawler Caraïbes in the Iroise Sea off Ouessant Island - Yann Arthus Bertrand 4

The trawler Caraïbes in the Iroise Sea off Ouessant Island, Finistère, France (48°25’ N, 5°05’ W).

Does anyone still have doubts that we, the "pseudo-humans", we will soon destroy all life on and under the seas?

Fernando Costa

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The Iroise Sea is the name given that part of the Atlantic Ocean that extends from Sein Island to Ouessant Island. It is reputed to be among the most dangerous waters in Europe, but it is also considered one of the
richest in biodiversity; it was listed as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1988, and as France’s first natural marine park in 2007.

Here, offshore fishing and coastal fishing (fish and crustaceans) engage 2,500 people and 350 boats, and the preservation of the marine environment is a necessity for fishermen. The majority of trawlers, which owe their name to the type of net they use (the trawl), are small (less than 40 ft [12 m]).

This method of fishing is very efficient but non-selective except for the size of the fish taken, which can be more or less controlled by the size of the net’s mesh, in order to preserve juvenile fish.

Despite all the measures taken, the Iroise Sea, long exploited for fishing, is no exception to the general diminishing of halieutic resources. According to the FAO, 80 percent of commercial fish species are already being exploited at full capacity, or overexploited, which could lead to an irreversible exhaustion of this food resource by 2050.