We returned to the High Court to challenge the government over its failure to prevent the deaths of thousands of dolphins every year.
The hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice resumed after being adjourned in July. The Judge has now heard all the evidence and now we're waiting for a verdict.
We launched a judicial review of the decision by fisheries minister Ben Bradshaw to ban pair trawling - a fishing method known to kill dolphins - in only a small part of the UK sea bass fishery, up to 12 miles from the UK coast. This decision, announced last year, was taken despite advice from conservation groups and government-funded scientists that this ban would be ineffective and could lead to an increase in dolphin deaths by moving the fishermen into the very areas where dolphins are most numerous.
Pair trawling - a fishing method normally used to catch sea bass - involves two boats dragging a huge net between them. Dolphins are trapped in the nets and drown. In the 2003-2004 fishing season, government observers witnessed UK sea bass pair trawlers killing over 150 dolphins. The UK and french fleets combined are estimated to drown more than 2,000 common dolphins a year.
Research by government scientists has found that there is a consistently higher rate of dolphin bycatch beyond 12 miles and population studies suggest that common dolphins are more frequently observed further out at sea than 12 miles. Therefore any legal measure that displaces fishing vessels beyond the 12-mile coastal zone is likely to lead to more dolphins being trapped and drowned in nets.
Dolphins and porpoises are protected species under the EU Habitats Directive, and our government is duty-bound to take swift and effective action to protect dolphin populations.
We believe that the evidence is plain to see - if pair trawling is allowed to continue then dolphins could be wiped out in the English channel. The UK government needs to take action and ban pair trawling up to 200 nautical miles from the coastline and work with the European Commission to achieve a total ban on this method of fishing in order to protect the dolphin population.
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