Media release - June 29, 2007
The Greenpeace ship Esperanza arrived in Homer, Alaska to begin the group’s ambitious research and outreach expedition into the Bering Sea, the same waters where Greenpeace’s very first protest took place nearly 36 years ago. The international environmental group will spend two months this summer in the Bering, conducting scientific surveys of underwater canyons and working with native Alaskan communities to push for sustainable fishing practices in the area. By utilizing state-of-the-art technology to observe coral, sponges and hopefully discover new species, and through gaining the support of native communities, Greenpeace will push for greater protection of the Bering waters.
"This ambitious expedition will take Greenpeace right back to
its roots," said John Hocevar, senior oceans specialist with
Greenpeace. "Thirty six years later, we are still committed to
necessary solutions to problems facing our environment, using
creative means and modern technology to defend our oceans for the
benefit of future generations," he added.
The Bering Sea hangs in the balance, due to harmful fishing
practices such as bottom-trawling and a single-species management
approach that fails to consider the impact of removing billions of
pounds of fish on the rest of the ecosystem. Populations of many
commercially important fish and crabs have begun to decline,
putting the other creatures, and sadly the people who depend upon
fishing for subsistence and livelihood, at risk. Building on work
undertaken last summer, Greenpeace will work with Alaska native
communities along the Bering to create "Marine Cultural Heritage
Zones (MHZs)," areas which give fishing dependent communities the
ability to ensure that their traditional and subsistence needs will
be met. The future of many native cultures and traditions is
dependent on the continued health of the Bering, and the creation
of MHZs can help to ensure both.
Greenpeace will also conduct groundbreaking scientific research
into the unexplored underwater canyons of the Bering Sea. With the
help of submarines, the Greenpeace team will be the first humans to
observe firsthand the marine life that exists in two submarine
canyons, Zhemchug and Pribilof. As the home of many corals and
sponges, and potentially undiscovered life, Zhemchug and Pribilof,
which are larger than Arizona's Grand Canyon, will offer insight
into the rich biodiversity of the Bering and help assess the
effects of industrial fishing on these unique areas. A provision
in the recently re-authorized Magnuson-Stevens Act mandates
protection of coral habitats. Greenpeace will lead the research
into the canyons' coral assemblages in order to expedite this
process for policy makers.
"This expedition, the latest effort by Greenpeace to defend our
oceans, will combine the best technology with efforts to reach out
to the people most affected by the continued neglect of the Bering
environment," said George Pletnikoff, Greenpeace oceans
campaigner. "This is an exciting chance for Greenpeace to lead
efforts to leave behind a healthy Bering for future generations,
and another step towards taking an ecosystem-based approach to
fisheries management here in the United States," he concluded.
VVPR info: steve.smith@wdc.greenpeace.org
Notes: http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/campaigns/oceans/bering-sea-tour-2007