ShadowView partners with The Black Fish to halt illegal driftnets - March 14, 2013
By Steve Roest

ShadowView has partnered with the marine conservation organisation The Black Fish to launch a new conservation campaign, exposing illegal driftnet fishing in the Mediterranean Sea.

Illegal driftnets in the Mediterranean Sea form a major hazard to 
dolphins, whales, turtles, sharks and fish. The use of driftnets has been banned by the United Nations for over 20 years, yet an estimated 500 vessels from Morocco, France, Italy, Turkey, Algeria and Tunisia continue to use them, killing an estimated 10.000 whales and dolphins every year, as well as thousands of endangered sharks, sea turtles and fish.

Without sounding like denouncing the importance of ending the continued slaughter of dolphins and whales by hunters from Norway, Iceland, Faroe Islands and Japan, it is quite unsettling to realise that more cetaceans are killed by driftnets in the Mediterranean Sea every year, than all these hunts combined.

"ShadowView shares many common goals with The Black Fish and some close personal friendships, it will be an honour for us to provide UAV monitoring and evaluation support to their missions in the Mediterranean", said ShadowView co-founder Laurens de Groot.

Laurens served on anti-whaling campaigns in the Antarctic with The Black Fish co-founder Wietse van der Werf, who is equally excited about the cooperation. "ShadowView is an organisation that in its short existence has already shown great ability to get results. Their use of UAV's and other technological innovation is turning the tables for conservation and we are very pleased to announce this partnership as we know it will greatly benefit the fight to stop illegal and destructive fishing practices from harming wildlife."

The campaign will start in June and be centered around the central Mediterranean, where increased monitoring will ensure evidence of illegal driftnet use can be collected and help to expose the cruelty
 caused by the nets.



ShadowView's recent missions in the UK have provided the opportunity to rigorously test the new OpenRanger electric UAV and have provided aerial footage to non-profits exposing wildlife crime. Although UK air regulations from the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) limit the range of UK operations for UAV's, overseas testing of OpenRanger has demonstrated
 a 25km+ range and 90 mins+ airtime capability, which will be an enormous advantage in many international areas of operation.

Learn more about the facts behind illegal driftnetting and help support the campaign at http://www.theblackfish.org/driftnets