Latest update: what's the story with Bottom Trawling in 2004?

While we didn't quite achieve what we would have liked, it's not all doom and gloom. On the issue of bottom trawling, the actions agreed by the General Assembly are far better than those recommended by the June meeting of the UN Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea (UNICPOLOS). Amongst other things, UNGA has for the first time explicitly recognized that bottom trawling can have destructive impacts on seamounts, cold water corals and other vulnerable deep sea ecosystems. In doing so, the UNGA has called on member states to 'take action urgently', based on science and the precautionary approach, and consider interim prohibitions or moratoria on bottom trawl fishing on the high seas (that is, beyond areas of national jurisdiction, not where all the swashbuckling pirates are).

What UNGA said

And there's more! The UNGA established an 'Open-ended Informal Working Group' to study issues related to the conservation and sustainable use of marine diversity on the high seas. The working group is likely to meet in early 2006.

Nonetheless, the UNGA resolutions still fall well short of an agreement for a global moratorium on bottom trawl fishing on the high seas to protect deep-water corals and biodiversity. It still leaves it up to countries individually and through regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOS) to take action to protect deep sea life from bottom trawl fishing.

Is leaving it up to individual countries really so bad?

So what's so bad using regional management, we hear you ask. Well for starters the evidence isn't encouraging: existing RFMOs, with the exception of the one for Antarctica, have done little to protect deep sea life from high seas bottom trawling.

There is a bit of light at the end of the tunnel: for example, the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) recently held its annual meeting and agreed, for the first time ever, to close several small deep sea areas in international waters to bottom trawl fishing. A good start, but not nearly enough to protect deep-water corals, which are widespread throughout the region.

Also, it appeared that the EU was successful in preventing an agreement to close a sensitive deep sea area which is of interest to Spanish fleets fishing on the high seas.

Bottom trawl fishing is completely unregulated in many international waters. Other types of fishing are strongly regulated - so why not bottom trawling? But the UNGA resolution is quite weak on these areas and calls on states to either establish new RFMOs or expand the mandate of existing RFMOs to cover these high seas areas - a process that will take many years at best and in some cases ultimately may not be effective in the long term.

Who are still the bad guys?

Costa Rica, Norway, Chile and New Zealand have all shown leadership during the UN General Assembly negotiations this year. Iceland and the European Union, on the other hand, appeared to be the major obstacles to comprehensive protection of deep sea biodiversity.

But don't worry, we're not going to let them get away with it!

Check out the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition's website for more updates and links

View the webcast of Greenpeace Policy Advisor Karen Sack's challenge to the UNGA (REAL MEDIA)

Read the weblog straight from our ship battling bottom trawling on the high seas

Want to help?

We will be continuing our battle against the destruction of bottom trawling. Meanwhile...

Keep an eye on the Cybercentre for the latest online actions

become a cyberactivist

Join Greenpeace!