Wed, 6 Oct 2004
New Global Coalition Calls For UN Action On Bottom Trawling
Wellington, Wednesday 6 October: The New Zealand Government took the lead on driftnet fishing and should step forward
and do the same with high seas bottom trawling, environmentalists said today.
The New Zealand contingent of the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition (DSCC) comprising ECO, WWF-New Zealand, Forest and
Bird and Greenpeace placed an advertisement in Wellington newspapers today (see at:
http://www.greenpeace.org.nz/pdf/DomPostBTad.pdf) calling for the Labour government to lead a UN moratorium on high seas
bottom trawling - just as it did in 1989 with driftnet fishing.
The groups placed the ads as their international counterparts launched the DSCC in London and as UN discussions on ocean
issues continue this week. The DSCC says that resolutions tabled for negotiation by the UN General Assembly fell a long
way short of the urgent protection needed.
Cath Wallace, spokesperson of the Environment and Conservation Organisations of New Zealand (ECO) said: "Scientific
evidence shows that bottom trawling on underwater mountains called seamounts destroys more biodiversity and adds more
threats of extinction to more species than the driftnets - or Walls of Death - ever did. Bottom trawling is as
destructive of ancient sea-floor communities as crushing a forest in order to catch the birds. In harvesting, the
habitat is destroyed."
Chris Howe of WWF-New Zealand said: "There is a free-for-all approach on high seas areas. A moratorium will allow time
for identification of areas that need permanent protection, provide an opportunity for the UN to develop appropriate
legal instruments and allow fishers to find less destructive ways of fishing".
Barry Weeber of Forest and Bird said: "Scientists have been calling for urgent action to protect these deep sea
treasures for more than two years. It's time New Zealand stepped in and took a lead over this important international
environmental issue".
Only a handful of countries have deep sea bottom trawl fleets operating in international waters, the most prolific
amongst these being Spain, other European countries and Russia. New Zealand is one of only 11 countries that took
approximately 95% of the reported high seas bottom trawl catch in 2001 and have been promoting and exporting this
technology around the world.
Greenpeace boat to expose bottom trawlers in Atlantic Greenpeace announced today in London that it will send its ship,
The Esperanza, out onto the international waters of the North Atlantic to document the immediate threat posed by bottom
trawlers.
Greenpeace New Zealand campaigner Vanessa Atkinson will be on board: "In June this year, the Rainbow Warrior found New
Zealand bottom trawlers on international waters of the Tasman Sea catching small amounts of orange roughy along with
large proportions of deep sea creatures as 'bycatch' which were dumped overboard," she said.
"The fragile and unique life of the deep sea around the world is being devastated by bottom trawl nets. The deep sea is
the biggest pool of undiscovered life in the ocean, yet bottom trawling is devastating these areas, driving species to
extinction. A United Nations moratorium on high seas bottom trawling is the only option to ensure that these precious
areas survive long enough to be studied and protected for the long term," concluded Ms Atkinson.
The DSCC represents millions of members around the world and is supported in its concerns by members of both the
scientific and fishing communities.
ENDS