8 June 2005
Greenpeace Again Halts Bottom Trawling in International Waters
Tasman Sea, Wednesday 8 June 2005: For the second day in a row, Greenpeace has disrupted a New Zealand bottom trawler in
international waters. Bottom trawling the sea floor is the biggest threat to life in the deep sea, and every trawl does
incredible damage.
Using the Rainbow Warrior and inflatable boats, activists successfully stopped four trawls by the vessel, the Ocean
Reward in the international waters of the Tasman Sea.
Activists first used a cable to connect the vessel's several-tonne trawl doors together, choking off the net and
preventing it from being deployed. Hung from the cables were signs reading 'End Deep Sea Destruction'. Later, floating
barrels reading 'Protect Deep Sea Life' were repeatedly attached to the net, forcing the vessel to haul the net back in.
"Greenpeace is taking action today because government's are failing to end the destruction," said Greenpeace oceans
campaigner, Carmen Gravatt.
Less than four percent of the deep sea is rocky areas such as seamounts, ridges and plateaus. It is these few areas that
hold some of the largest diversity of species and undiscovered life on earth. Unfortunately, this also means these areas
are also the prime target for bottom trawlers.
"At the moment it's a race against time as bottom trawlers wipe out life in the deep sea before we even know what's down
there. Every trawl we stop could save a coral forest that took hundreds of years to grow. We urgently need a moratorium
on bottom trawling in international waters."
"While we did our best to stop the destruction by a bottom trawler today, the only way to protect deep sea life for the
future is for governments to act."
Before taking action, the Rainbow Warrior informed the skipper of the Ocean Reward that Greenpeace were undertaking a
peaceful protest and did not intend to interfere with their navigation, endanger their crew or damage equipment.
ENDS