What good is the law?
Mediterranean monk seals feed predominantly on fish which makes them a competitor in the eyes of many fishermen. It is for this reason that many fishermen are quick to blame these impressive marine mammals for the decline in popular table fish species. However, the real reasons for the meagre catches, i.e. the dramatic pollution of the sea and the overfishing of what used to be rich fishing grounds, are swept under the carpet. Despite the fact that the seal populations have become so small and isolated that they are hardly viable anymore, there are still incidences of seals being shot or clubbed to death by angry fishermen. The legal protection the monk seals were given in Greece, Italy, Cyprus, Turkey, Bulgaria and Tunisia means little if remote coastal sections are not being controlled. And which laws are applicable on the high seas?
