Press release - February 14, 2006
Today's announcement that areas would be closed to bottom trawling showed that both the fishing industry and Government acknowledge the need to protect deep-sea life from the destruction caused by bottom trawling, but warned that it will not solve the problem.
'While 30% of our EEZ sounds like an impressive proposed
closure, the areas do not seem to represent all the vulnerable
areas at risk from bottom trawling. We know, for example, that most
of these areas are too deep to bottom trawl.' said Carmen Gravatt
oceans campaigner. 'The devil is in the detail.'
She went on to warn that closing only selected areas would not
solve the problem with the high seas under discussion at this
week's meeting in Wellington.
Greenpeace noted that the closure announcement today is only
within New Zealand's EEZ and has little to do with the
international waters where there are no rules at all.
'There is plenty of evidence of bottom trawling's devastating
impacts. However there is not enough information around to be able
to select particular areas without knowing the impact of leaving
other vulnerable areas open to bottom trawling.'
'The only effective measure is a temporary ban on bottom
trawling in international waters while the research is carried out
and the RFMO negotiations are underway,' concluded Ms Gravatt.