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Marine ecologists regard fishing, especially commercial fishing as the largest single threat to the environment. Fishing styles such as beam trawling do serious damage to the seabed, and long nets can accidentally harm cetaceans such as dolphins. The fishing threat may be self canceling as over fishing is resulting in ever increasing restrictions.
The Sea Fisheries Committees, funded jointly by government and local authorities have to walk a tightrope. They patrol the waters, and issue licences mainly for inshore fishing (whereas the offshore fishery is regulated from Brussels by the Common Fishery Policy). Few people are aware of this careful work carried out by dedicated people. They, more than any other regulatory body, face up to the difficult decisions to balance the needs of man, local communities and nature. Sadly, funding pressure on local authorities means that these committees are usually starved of funds. They and the harbour authorities are the only coastal zone managers who have regular patrol craft.
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