"It is outrageous that nearly three yearsafter the UN agreed to put measures in place to protect our deep seas fromdestructive fishing practices, countries have still done very little - ifanything - to actually stop unregulated bottom fishing on the high seas," said Farah Obaidullah, Greenpeace International oceans campaigner.
The 2006 UNGA resolution (2) called onmember states to implement specific measures to protect deep sea life in international waters by 31 December 2008 or to stop destructive bottom fishing altogether. Requirements included conducting environmental impact assessments, identifying vulnerable deep sea habitats, and ensuring that no bottom fishing takes place where these are known to exist or are likely to occur.
In June 2009, the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition published its own review, which concluded that across all oceans, member States and regional fisheries management organisations (RFMOs) have fallen far short of living up to the commitments agreed to in 2006 (3). Even in the few places whereimpact assessments have been conducted, they have only been partially completedand have been inconclusive at best. Many areas where vulnerable marine ecosystems are known or likely to occur remain open to bottom fishing with few or no constraints. Finally, where measures have been taken, these are often weak and provide little, if any, protection to deep sea life.
For years the scientific community, as well as environmental organisations around the world, has warned governments about the long-term devastating impacts of destructive high seas bottom fishing. Bottom trawling lays waste to vast expanses of deep sea life, including fragile deep sea eco systems and corals that can live for thousands of years (4). “If bottom fishing continues at the current rate of destruction, in just a few decades our planet’s deepest and most mysterious habitats will disappear forever. If fishing States can't orwon't comply they simply must stop fishing” concluded Obaidullah.
Greenpeace is calling on the United Nations General Assembly due to meet in November to call for an immediate endto destructive bottom fishing by fleets whose flag States have failed to fullyimplement the very clear criteria adopted by the UNGA in 2006.
VVPR info: Farah Obaidullah, Greenpeace International oceans campaigner +31 646177538
Lara Teunissen, Greenpeace International communications +31 646162042
Notes: (1) United Nations Secretary General’s review of implementation of the resolution 61/105 of 8 December 2006 on Sustainable fisheries, released on 21 August 2009: http://www.un.org/Depts/los/general_assembly/documents/fisheriesreport64sessionadvanceunedited.pdf
(2) United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution 61/105:http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N06/500/73/PDF/N0650073.pdf?OpenElement
(3) The Deep Sea Conservation Coalition (comprising about 60 environmental NGOs, including Greenpeace} review of the implementation of the provisions of UN GA resolution 61/105 related to the management of high seas bottom fisheries: http://www.savethehighseas.org/publicdocs/DSCC_report_12June09_web.pdf
(4) Bottom trawling is laying waste to the precious ecosystems of the deep sea. Sigourney Weaver calls on delegates of the UN to take immediate action to stop this destruction in the High Seas. The Bottom Line, presented by Sigourney Weaver, here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0616msQC_M Exp. contact date: 2009-08-30 00:00:00