All articles
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“Fishing from the sky”, empty nets, dead fish and the plight of West African fisher folks
Travelling in Africa is bittersweet. I always appreciate the warmth of fellow Africans, the humanity that characterises daily life and the untold stories of Ubuntu. But there is a dark side. If poverty and quality of life are measured by access to clean water, basic health care, roads and infrastructure, most African countries are poor…
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My night on board a Chinese fishing vessel in West Africa
I am currently sailing with Greenpeace’s beautiful Esperanza on a ship tour called “Hope in West Africa” to protect the invaluable fishery resources of that region. As part of our investigation and research works in Mauritanian waters, we were looking for fishing vessels and documented their activities. I am an Oceans Campaigner from Greenpeace East…
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Guinea Bissau President José Mário Vaz Visits Greenpeace ship after arrest of illegal fishing vessels
Guinea Bissau, 28 March 2017 - Four fishing vessels have been arrested in Guinea Bissau waters after joint patrols by Greenpeace and the Fisheries Surveillance Department of Guinea Bissau, FISCAP, found multiple fishing infringements. The vessels were brought to port, and the crew on board as well as the owners of the vessels are now…
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Greenpeace reveal new cases of bad fishing practices in West Africa
Nouakchott, Mauritania, 13 March 2017 - Greenpeace today presented the results of 10 days of research on fishing practices along the West African coast to the Mauritanian Minister of Fisheries & Maritime Economy, the Minister of Environment & Sustainable Development and the Minister of Equipment & Transport. After witnessing several irregularities involving local and foreign…
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A day at sea: Wildlife encounters
On March 1st 2017, the Esperanza ship sailed to the Praia harbour in Cape Verde to begin its journey in West African waters. One goal: show local governments that there is a serious need for strong regional fisheries management.
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Our oceans, our responsibility
For some people the oceans may seem vast - to me they are my garden and my home. For the last three decades I have spent most of my life as a sailor and a captain. So you can imagine I feel a special tie to our blue planet. The many years at sea also…
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Greenpeace ship MY Esperanza sails into West Africa waters
Praia, 24th February 2017. The Greenpeace ship My Esperanza has today docked at the port of Praia in Cape Verde. For eleven weeks the Esperanza will sail the waters of six West Africa States - Cape Verde, Mauritania, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Senegal to raise awareness on the state of fisheries through political…
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New trade protections for sharks – but are they enough?
Like it or not, around the world many species of animals are seen as tradeable commodities – for things like food, fur, fashion or medicine. Of course we know that historically hunting animals for commercial gain has often been really bad news for the animals concerned. Just stop and think about some of the most…
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Whale Fail – no new sanctuary in the South Atlantic (again).
Bad news from the 2016 International Whaling Commission meeting – as the first significant vote was another disappointment for whales and supporters of conservation. Despite getting a majority of votes in favour, the proposal to create a South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary did not pass, because it was short of the three-quarters majority needed.
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10 good reasons to protect whales
Killing whales for food has been happening for millennia. But it was commercial whaling – turning whales into barrels of oil for profit – that led to the wholesale destruction of most of the world’s populations of big whales.The loss of whales from our oceans is the same story as overfishing of big fish –…