The Arctic Sunrise crew came across the Italian fishing vessel
Diomede II, fishing with 8 - 10 kilometers of driftnet in
international waters approximately fifty kilometres from the coast
of Sicily, Italy (1). The crew had covered the vessel's name and
registration number to avoid being identified. Diomede II is
licensed only to fish with longline or anchored nets, and only
within fifteen kilometres of the coast. The Arctic Sunrise is now
following Diomede II towards its home harbour, and Greenpeace has
requested that the coastguard confiscate the illegal driftnet and
catch.
Driftnets are huge floating nets that act as 'walls of death'
for fish and other sea life. They were banned by the United Nations
and the European Union because they indiscriminately trapped and
killed thousands of whales, dolphins and turtles in the
Mediterranean each year (2). Despite the bans, driftnet fleets from
Italy and other Mediterranean countries are still fishing - Italian
authorities continue to confiscate hundreds of kilometres of
driftnet each year.
"Bans are useless if they are not enforced," said Alessandro
Gianni of Greenpeace Italy. "Italian and EU authorities must end
this shameful practice and adopt strong European Union laws to ban
pirate fishing vessels from access to European ports and funds. It
is a scandal that Greenpeace is still finding newly built vessels
fishing with driftnets, known to indiscriminately trap and kill
protected species, more than a decade after driftnets were
banned."
The European Commission has proposed new laws that would
blacklist fishing vessels involved in illegal practices. (3) But
Italy and other member states are seeking to water down those
laws.
Greenpeace launched a campaign in 2006 calling for the creation
a network of marine reserves for the Mediterranean Sea. This
network is vital to ensure that fish stocks recover and the fishing
industry has a sustainable future. Stocks of large predators such
as tuna and swordfish, targeted by driftnets, are in peril
globally, and are estimated to be reduced by 80%. A network of
marine reserves and the end of fishing piracy are two basic
ingredients for the recovery of the Mediterranean Sea, and are in
the best interests of the honest fisherman.
"Failure to set up a network of marine reserves will spell
disaster for conservation, disaster for fish stocks and disaster
for the long term economic interest of fishermen. If we want fish
tomorrow, we need marine reserves today," concluded Gianni.
Greenpeace is campaigning for a global network of fully
protected marine reserves covering 40% of our oceans as an
essential way to protect our seas from the ravages of climate
change, to restore the health of fish stocks, and protect ocean
life from habitat destruction and collapse. As part of this
campaign, the Arctic Sunrise is currently in the Mediterranean
documenting threats to the sea and promoting the designation of
marine reserves.
Other contacts: Alessandro Gianni - Greenpeace Italy Oceans Campaigner, on board the Arctic Sunrise: Phone + 31 20 712 2616 or + 31 20 712 2617, mobile +39 340 800 9534Omer Elnaiem, Greenpeace International Communications, mobile + 31 6 15093589John Novis, Greenpeace International Photo Desk +44 207 865 8230Maarten van Rouveroy, Greenpeace International Video Desk: +31 646 162 015
Notes: (1) The vessel Diomede II was found at 37 deg 59.8 N, 16 deg 45.8 E. The vessel was built in 2006 and is licensed under EU law to fish with longlines and anchored floating gillnets, within fifteen kilometres of the coast. The vessel was fishing with a driftnet 8 – 10 kilometres long (from radar and visual observations) around fifty kilometres from the coast in international waters.(2) In the 1990s it was estimated that 8 to 29 whales and dolphins were caught for every 100 casts in the Italian fishery, which gave rise to annual estimates of over 8,000 cetaceans being trapped every year. See: Di Natale A. & G. Notarbartolo di Sciara (1994). A review of the passive fishing nets and trap fisheries in the Mediterranean Sea and of cetacean bycatch. International Whaling Commission Report, Special Issue 15:189-202.(3) The European Commission has proposed a regulation which creates a “blacklist” of pirate fishing vessels: pirates would be denied assistance in EU ports and other privileges, including access to public subsidies such as those already used for decommissioning driftnets in Italy.