Dolphins and Whale Killed by Driftnet off Greece
Date: 23-May-05
Country: GREECE
The 1 km (0.6 mile) net was pulled into the island's port because of fears it could damage ships' propellers.
"There were 13 dead dolphins, a shark, a whale and some tuna that had been caught in the net which some fisherman irresponsibly just dumped in the sea," said tourist Dinos Panidis who helped pull up the net.
Island authorities believe the net was abandoned by Turkish fishermen on Thursday and have launched an investigation.
Driftnets, also known as "walls of death" because of their size and their indiscriminate catch of small and large fish, have been banned by the European Union.
Samothrace lies only a few kilometres off the western Turkish coast. Authorities said they believed the net was Turkish because its floaters contained Turkish batteries not sold in Greece.