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Widespread destruction and fisheries mismanagement in the Northwest Atlantic
12 August 2005
The Esperanza spent two weeks on the nose and tail of the Grand Banks
and the Flemish Cap in international waters. Greenpeace observed 20
bottom trawlers (1), and documented the fishing activities of half of
these. Campaigners boarded five of the trawlers to discuss a United
Nations moratorium on high seas bottom trawling.
"We witnessed example after example of bad management, overfishing, and destruction of deep-sea life and habitat from heavy fishing gear being dragged over the seabed. We saw an indifference to the need to protect vulnerable and fragile ecosystems as well as suspect operators, such as the Lootus II, which are linked to illegal fishing in other parts of the globe," said Bunny McDiarmid, Greenpeace International Oceans Campaigner. "If the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) (1) believes that this is the best example of a regional fisheries management organisation at work, then our ocean ecosystems are in very serious trouble."
"We witnessed starfish, sponge, capelin, anemones, juvenile redfish and eelpout in the grates of the trawl nets, and as one skipper said, no matter how much you try and reduce bycatch, the nets cannot discriminate which fish they catch," added McDiarmid.
The Spanish trawlers in the Greenland halibut fishery refused to discard their bycatch while Greenpeace was filming and one vessel the Lootus II kept its nets on the bottom for 18 hours to avoid hauling while Greenpeace was watching. Greenland halibut is on a 15 year rebuilding plan, which is already seen by many as too little too late.
"Canada and Norway's call for reform within NAFO is absolutely meaningless without a moratorium on bottom trawling being in place while these changes are discussed, agreed and implemented," said Mark Butler of the Ecology Action Centre. "Reform will take time. Time scientists say deep-sea life does not have. Without a moratorium on high seas bottom trawling there may be nothing left to manage or protect."
Greenpeace highlighted the mismanagement by NAFO during actions against Icelandic, Spanish and Estonian bottom trawlers in the shrimp and Greenland halibut fisheries. The actions exposed the irresponsible attitude of NAFO and its member states such as Canada.
Greenpeace is an independent, campaigning organisation, which uses non-violent, creative confrontation to expose global environmental problems, and to force the solutions which are essential to a green and peaceful future.
"We witnessed example after example of bad management, overfishing, and destruction of deep-sea life and habitat from heavy fishing gear being dragged over the seabed. We saw an indifference to the need to protect vulnerable and fragile ecosystems as well as suspect operators, such as the Lootus II, which are linked to illegal fishing in other parts of the globe," said Bunny McDiarmid, Greenpeace International Oceans Campaigner. "If the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) (1) believes that this is the best example of a regional fisheries management organisation at work, then our ocean ecosystems are in very serious trouble."
"We witnessed starfish, sponge, capelin, anemones, juvenile redfish and eelpout in the grates of the trawl nets, and as one skipper said, no matter how much you try and reduce bycatch, the nets cannot discriminate which fish they catch," added McDiarmid.
The Spanish trawlers in the Greenland halibut fishery refused to discard their bycatch while Greenpeace was filming and one vessel the Lootus II kept its nets on the bottom for 18 hours to avoid hauling while Greenpeace was watching. Greenland halibut is on a 15 year rebuilding plan, which is already seen by many as too little too late.
"Canada and Norway's call for reform within NAFO is absolutely meaningless without a moratorium on bottom trawling being in place while these changes are discussed, agreed and implemented," said Mark Butler of the Ecology Action Centre. "Reform will take time. Time scientists say deep-sea life does not have. Without a moratorium on high seas bottom trawling there may be nothing left to manage or protect."
Greenpeace highlighted the mismanagement by NAFO during actions against Icelandic, Spanish and Estonian bottom trawlers in the shrimp and Greenland halibut fisheries. The actions exposed the irresponsible attitude of NAFO and its member states such as Canada.
Greenpeace is an independent, campaigning organisation, which uses non-violent, creative confrontation to expose global environmental problems, and to force the solutions which are essential to a green and peaceful future.
Notes to Editor
(1) The 20 trawlers were registered as Lithuanian, Spanish, Estonian, Latvian, Portuguese, Japanese, Portugal and Faroe Islands.
(2) Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Management Organisation
