Activists from the Greenpeace vessel MV Esperanza board the Lithuanian registered fishing vessel ANUVA to protest deep sea destruction and call for a moratorium on high sea bottom trawling.
Three activists boarded the Lithuanian flagged "Anuva" and
unfurled banners reading "Stop deep sea plunder". They occupied the
nets of the trawler as well as climbing onto the trawl nets doors.
The action prevented the vessel from re-setting the nets and from
carrying out further high seas destruction.
"Whole habitats are being ripped up from depths of 1000 metres
just for the sake of a few fish. This deep sea plunder is wiping
out unknown worlds, including ancient coral. The destruction is
unnecessary and what's worse, irreparable," Greenpeace Campaigner
Dima Litvinov said, from the Esperanza.
The Anuva is a Lithuanian flagged ship owned and operated out of
Spain. It has a sordid history of flag -hopping and illegal
fishing. "The Anuva has the distinction have of having been
de-flagged by Belize, a well known flag of convenience state,"
Litvinov said.
"The EU, and the North East Atlantic Fisheries Council have been
meeting in London this week and should be ashamed to have such a
vessel fishing in their waters. It is a prime example of how poorly
regulated high seas fisheries are." Greenpeace Campaigner Sebastian
Losada said.
Bottom-trawling boats, in the majority from EU countries, drag
fishing gear weighing several tonnes across the sea bed, destroying
everything in their path including marine wildlife such as coral
and devastating life on underwater mountains - or `seamounts'.
The United Nations General Assembly meets in New York next week
to debate the future of the high seas. Greenpeace is calling for
the UN to impose an immediate moratorium on all deep sea bottom
trawling on the high seas. A resolution on the issue is expected on
Tuesday 16th November.
The activists launched the action from the Greenpeace MV
Esperanza, which has been investigating and documenting bottom
trawling in the North Atlantic for the past five weeks. Seamounts
in this area run from the south of Iceland to the Azores and form
the world's largest mountain range.
Greenpeace is an independent campaigning organisation that uses
non-violent, creative confrontation to expose global environmental
problems and to force solutions that are essential to a green and
peaceful future.
www.greenpeace.org/savedeepsealife/
VVPR info: Photos and video of the action are available
Notes: Notes: Greenpeace is a member of the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, an international alliance of organisations, representing millions of people in countries around the world, which is calling for a moratorium on high seas bottom trawling.