Nets that can potentially injure marine life such as porpoises and seals will be banned for recreational fishing, announced Minister of the North Sea Vincent Van Quickenborne on Sunday.
The use of gillnets and entangling nets are now prohibited in recreational fishing, according to Belga News Agency. Every year many porpoises and seals wash up on the Belgian coast trapped in the nets and numbers have been rising. Last year, 75 porpoises and 99 seals were stranded on the coast.
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"The Belgian fishing fleet hardly uses these harmful nets. However, we still see them used in recreational fishing. This is what we are now tackling," explained Van Quickenborne.
A Royal Decree prohibits the use of these nets and specifies the rules on the use of fishing nets, with the hopes that fewer seals and porpoises will be caught or injured.
It is now forbidden to set nets from leisure crafts, and setting gill and entangling nets from beaches is also prohibited. Additionally, nets must also be marked so that their owners can be traced. In case of violation, nets may be seized and fines of up to €800,000 may also be imposed.
