Greenpeace volunteers attempting to save North Sea cod from being pushed towards extinction plunged into the ocean 40 miles from land and tried to stop a Scottish trawler, called Endurance, by placing themselves in its course.Greenpeace fears that, if fishing for cod is allowed to continue, then cod will be wiped out in the North Sea. They are calling not only for a halt to cod fishing, but also for large areas of the North Sea to become protected as marine reserves.
Swimmers from the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise entered the
water at 9am, east of Unst, the most northerly island in the UK.
Clad in a survival suit and holding on to a floating sign
emblazoned 'STOP', they positioned themselves in front of the
trawler in an effort to stop it fishing.
Greenpeace fears that, if fishing for cod is allowed to
continue, then cod will be wiped out in the North Sea. They are
calling not only for a halt to cod fishing, but also for large
areas of the North Sea to become protected as 'marine
reserves'.
The trawler, called Endurance, did not alter its course and the
swimmers were swept off to the side in the ship's wake before being
picked up by a Greenpeace inflatable boat.
North Sea cod has been classified as a 'threatened and declining
species' since 2002. Scientists say that a cod stock in the North
Sea of 150,000 tonnes is the bare minimum required, yet stocks are
currently estimated at less than 70,000 tonnes.
The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES),
the official scientific advisory body to the European Union, has
described North Sea cod as being 'outside safe biological limits'.
They, along with environmental and conversation groups, have
repeatedly called for a complete ban on cod fishing in the North
Sea every year since 2001, yet have been ignored by politicians and
the fishing industry.
"The fishing industry and politicians have ignored the
scientists and continued to batter cod stocks. We're in the North
Sea to save the cod from extinction, and a part of the Scottish
fishing fleet from collapsing," said Willie Mackenzie, Greenpeace
UK campaigner onboard the Arctic Sunrise. "We've had to take action
today to stop cod being caught because otherwise it will disappear
from the seas and our dinner plates."
Unless a 'zero catch' is immediately implemented in the very
near future, the last cod will be taken from the plundered waters
of the North Sea. And even then, areas like the North Sea will need
to be designated as marine reserves, which would help to tackle
this huge problem and see oceans returned to the healthy ecosystems
they once were.
Greenpeace is campaigning for a global network of fully
protected marine reserves covering 40% of ocean ecosystems as an
essential way to protect the full range of sea life and restore the
health of global fish stocks. In Europe Greenpeace is demanding
that EU member states include the provision for such a network in a
new law - the Marine Strategy Directive.
Greenpeace is an independent, campaigning organization, which
uses non-violent, creative confrontation to expose global
environmental problems, and to force solutions essential to a green
and peaceful future.
Other contacts: Willie Mackenzie, Greenpeace United Kingdom campaigner onboard the Arctic Sunrise, tel. +871 764 596 089Niall Bennet, Greenpeace UK press officer, onboard the Arctic Sunrise, tel +871 764 596 089Richard Page, Greenpeace International oceans campaigner, in the UK, tel. +44 780 1212966Isabel Leal, Greenpeace International media officer, tel. +34 647 241 502
VVPR info: Pictures available from Greenpeace International Photo Desk: Franca Michienzi on +31 653819255.Footage available from Greenpeace International Video Desk: Hester van Meurs on +31 653 504 721
Exp. contact date: 2007-06-12 00:00:00