The Cost Of Trawling: 3,000 kg Dead Coral In One Year

In the wake of news that a New Zealand bottom trawler destroyed coral in the international waters of the South Pacific, Greenpeace and the DSCC are today revealing the cost of trawling in zone: nearly 3000 kg of dead coral in one year.

The New Zealand trawl fleet pulled up and killed at least 2,676 kg of coral and sponges, the building blocks of ocean life, over a one-year period, according to the most up-to-date figures.

Over the same time period, 522 seabirds, including albatross and petrels, and 152 mammals were killed, mostly New Zealand fur seals, with ten critically endangered Hector's dolphins also dying in trawl nets.

The data from the Ministry of Primary Industries includes the last half of 2023 and the first of 2024 and covers fishing within our national waters.

But Greenpeace says these figures don’t reflect the true cost of trawling given that there is not 100% observer or camera coverage on fishing boats to verify what is caught, and also notes that any coral pulled up by trawler nets is only a fraction of what is destroyed on the seafloor. "From tonnes of dead coral to albatross, fur seals and dolphins dying in nets, the cost of bottom trawling is too high," says Greenpeace oceans campaigner Juan Parada."Just last week, we heard the Minister of Oceans & Fisheries making jokes about the 37kg of deep-sea corals pulled up in international waters by a New Zealand bottom trawler, calling the amount "trifling". Well, these figures show the true and sustained cost of trawling and what a destructive and indiscriminate method of fishing it is."We’re calling on the Government to ban bottom trawling from where it does the most harm, those vulnerable areas like seamounts where coral flourish, and for New Zealand trawlers to stop bottom trawling in the South Pacific."These figures, especially for coral, are just the tip of the iceberg. Research shows that the vast majority of corals killed by trawlers don’t even make it into the nets. They remain as rubble on the seafloor," says Parada.

For example, using an equation scientists use to estimate trawling damage to coral on the seafloor, 34 kg of gorgonian coral pulled up in a trawl net, which is what the Tasman Viking recently pulled up, could equate to between 17 and 340 tonnes being impacted on the seabed. (1)

"In the middle of a biodiversity crisis, it’s appalling that the New Zealand government continues to allow bottom trawling on seamounts when we know that these are hot spots of corals and other deep sea life," said Karli Thomas of the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition.

"New Zealand is now the only country still bottom trawling in the South Pacific high seas - we need to stop being an obstacle to coral conservation and join other Pacific nations in protecting these vital ocean ecosystems."New Zealanders are calling for trawling to be banned from where it does the most harm. Survey data shows that nearly 80% of people want trawling gone from seamounts (2) and 73% want New Zealand to stop trawling in the South Pacific - that includes 75% of NZ First voters. (3)Says Parada: "It’s time the Luxon government listened to the people and put ocean protection before fishing industry profit."

Notes:

1. Geange, S. et al 2017, SC7-DW14, and Stephenson, F. et al 2022, SC10-DW04

2. Horizon Research polling, 2022

3. Horizon Research February 2024

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