A sea turtle caught up in the nets is cut loose by Greenpeace activists and released back into the sea.
The fishing pirates were using a fishing practice that has long
beenbanned by the United Nations and the European Union because it
alsotraps and kills thousands of whales, dolphins and turtles each
year inthe Mediterranean. (1). Every night at this time of year
these fishingpirates have cast enough driftnets to span the length
of theMediterranean and back again.
"Driftnets are walls of death, and their use is flagrant
piracy," saidAlessandro Gianni aboard the Rainbow Warrior.
"Greenpeace continues toexpose the offenders, but let's be clear -
the responsibility toenforce the driftnets ban and punish these
villains lies with theItalian government and the European Union. It
is scandalous that foryears Mediterranean governments have
continued to condone piracy, whenthe law has given them a mandate
to protect the Mediterranean Sea."
The Rainbow Warrior left Genoa this week on the first leg of
itsthree-month Defending Our Mediterranean tour of 7 countries. (2)
TheGreenpeace ship Esperanza has also just completed a three-week
tour ofthe Mediterranean, part of the global expedition Defending
Our Oceans.(3)
Greenpeace is calling for the establishment of a network of
marinereserves covering 40% of the sea to protect threatened marine
life,replenish the sea's fish stocks and conserve the beauty
andproductivity of the Mediterranean. (4)
"All the countries of the Mediterranean from Africa, Asia and
Europeneed to take a united stand on our sea - to stop illegal
fishing andprotect this shared resource. The livelihood of millions
of peopledepends upon it," said Sofia Tsenikli of Greenpeace Greece
aboard theRainbow Warrior.
Greenpeace is an independent campaigning organisation that
usesnon-violent creative confrontation to expose global
environmentalproblems to drive solutions that are essential to a
green and peacefulfuture.
VVPR info: Alessandro Gianni, oceans campaigner, Greenpeace ItalySofia Tsenikli, oceans campaigner, Greenpeace GreeceMichael Kessler, Greenpeace International CommunicationsOn board the Rainbow Warrior, phone +871 130 2412Greenpeace International Picture Desk:Franca Michienzi, phone + 31 207 182 054, mobile +31 653 819 255Greenpeace International Video Desk:Maarten van Rouveroy, phone +31 646 197 322
Notes: (1) In the 1990's it was estimated that 8 to 29 cetaceans 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 by catch. International Whaling Commission Report, Special Issue 15:189-202.(2) Defending Our Mediterranean is a voyage to document the threats to the Mediterranean Sea, and propose our vision for the future: a network of properly enforced marine reserves for 40% of the Mediterranean Sea. The Rainbow Warrior will visit Italy, Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, France and Spain during the tour.(3) Defending Our Oceans is a 14-month global expedition, and is the most ambitious ship expedition ever undertaken by Greenpeace. So far, the expedition has exposed the threats to the oceans such as whaling in the Southern Ocean and pirate fishing in West Africa, and documented the beauty of deep sea habitats around the Azores. In the Mediterranean, the Esperanza has documented the devastating impacts of overfishing on the survival of bluefin tuna.(4) See "Marine Reserves for the Mediterranean Sea" Greenpeace, June 2006.Report available at www.oceans.greenpeace.org/med-marine-reserves-reportSummary report at www.oceans.greenpeace.org/med-marine-reserves-summary