The Rainbow Warrior may have been docked in Wellington - but we've have been kept busy! Earlier today, crew members and local Greenpeace activists, dressed as sea creatures, accompanied none other than King Neptune himself to a board meeting of the New Zealand Seafood Industry Council (SeaFIC), where his royal highness issued a trespass notice to bottom trawlers. SeaFIC is funded by the fishing industry, and lobbies for the industry. Three members of the SeaFIC board represent major bottom trawl companies - Sanford, Sealord and Talleys.
Neptune and his entourage arrived with an ice chest laden with discarded bycatch, all recovered by the Rainbow Warrior in the Tasman Sea.
"Enough is enough," the marine noble proclaimed. "The ancient coral forests of the deep sea are being destroyed for the sake of a few fish. Your scientists have hardly begun to discover the mysterious life of my deep sea kingdom but the bottom trawlers are continuing to destroy it."
"If your land-lubber Governments won't put a stop to this senseless destruction then I will. I hereby issue a trespass notice to SeaFIC. Tell your bottom trawlers to keep out of my ocean," he thundered.
Why are King Neptune and Greenpeace targeting SeaFIC? Well, SeaFIC representatives have strongly opposed a United Nations moratorium on high seas bottom trawling. The same moratorium is being supported by more than 1000 marine scientists, and an international coalition of environmental groups - including Greenpeace.
Carmen - the Rainbow Warrior's oceans campaigner, said that the "moratorium would allow time to assess what is in the deep sea, sort out where and how fishing could occur sustainably and put in place legally binding agreements to protect the deep sea."
"SeaFIC represents all the fishing industry in New Zealand, but the destruction of the few bottom trawl companies and organisations in SeaFIC makes all the fishing industry look bad. SeaFIC should act responsibly for sustainable fisheries and support the call for a moratorium on high seas bottom trawling,"
Later today, King Neptune left for Auckland as a guest on the Rainbow Warrior. It's good to be the king...
I love the way Greenpeace acts using imaginative and effective protests.
Neptune and his message is a great idea that Im sure will stick in the minds of all at the board meeting,
Posted by: Alex Kett at July 26, 2004 09:14 AM
I am trying to sign the petition agin bottom trawling, but cant find the link to sign. please inform me of the link to try. thanks and good luck
karin
