Another hectic day in the Tasman Sea. On Monday night we located the Ocean Reward, yet another familiar Deep Sea Destroyer from last year's campaign. This year, however, it's changed its colour from a dark blue to the red and white of the Talleys fleet.
At first light this morning, Oscar, Luiza and I headed out in the Avon to keep an eye on the Ocean Reward, which had just dropped its nets. The sea was quite calm, except for a big lazy swell rolling up from the south, which had both the bottom trawler and the Rainbow Warrior rolling back and forth. On our approach, the crew of the Ocean Reward piled out on deck - very interested in our arrival.
The morning wore on - the sun climbed higher and hotter in the sky - a sunfish about 1m across surfaced near the Avon, flapped its fin, then slipped away again.
About 12:30pm, the big winches on the bottom trawler began to roll. We scrambled together more of our team - we now had three boats in the water, watching the net being hauled on board. Like the hauls of the other trawlers, there seemed to be precious little orange roughy in the net - just lots of other creatures, including squid.
The crew of the Ocean Reward crew emptied the massive net, then dropped it back into sea - and this was when things really started happening. As as the fishing gear floated on the surface, the Waka Nui inflatable surged forward, with Logi at the helm. Abri and Ed were armed with boathooks, ready to hook up an inflated liferaft to the net - to stop it sinking.
In response, the Ocean Reward hauled its net in twice, and started manoeuvring in erratic patterns - at one point even steaming towards the Rainbow Warrior!
On the bridge, campaigner Carmen radioed the skipper of the Ocean Reward, to reassure him that we were undertaking a peaceful protest, and that we did not intend to interfere with his navigation, endanger his crew or damage his equipment.
She didn't receive any reply - instead, the crew of the Ocean Reward rigged up a 'spudgun' powered by compressed air, and used both this and firehoses to bombard our activists with water and potatoes (as well as some pretty strong language). Despite this, the guys on the Waka Nui did a remarkable job of getting the liferaft attached, and significantly delaying the deployment of the net, and disrupting the bottom trawling practices of the Ocean Reward.
It was an auspicious day for a bid to stop bottom trawling in the Tasman Sea - today is the first day of a United Nations' meeting - UNICPOLOS - in New York, on how to manage the earth's oceans. Later tonight, Carmen will phone in live to a press conference at the UN, giving the meeting a first-hand account of what's been going on out here. More as it happens...
- Dave
Comments
Personally i think this event should not have happened on both sides. I have seen the photos and to me it looks awfully like the rainbow warrior crew are to close to the ocean Reward and are endangering their crew aswell as the crew on the Ocean Reward i think there could have been other ways to protest your point. Those fisherman are out there to do their job and that is exactly what they do it is like any other job ofcouse they are ging to get angry with the Rainbow warriors actions just like anyone would if someones was to interfer with your job. And also you said above that carmen radiod threw to the skipper and said we do not intend to interfer with his navigation, endanger his crew or damage his equipment and you did not do this you did damage the gear i think it was very very stupid to do what you (Rainbow Warrior have done you look pathetic to pick on such a little trawler. I do agree with you about the trawlers but the fisherman out there working on these boats all have familys and they dont want to be out there fishing but they need the money understand that please (frances of Nelson)
Posted by: Frances at June 17, 2005 10:06 PM
Hi There guys,
Just wanted to say you're all doing a great job!
Obviously, if there's no ecosystem, then there's no fish, and you guys are trying to save that for all of our sakes. Keep it up!
Just wondering if you are aware that the spud guns that the fishermen were firing at you, are, under New Zealand law, considered to be illegal firearms?
Even though they were used on you in international waters, they must have been on board the vessel before it left New Zealand waters, making it technically illegal...
Can you let me know how you get on?
Alan MacKay
Posted by: Alan MacKay at June 15, 2005 02:11 PM
People are right that we have to tackle those in the power and the politicians. And I know that's been done for many years. Its simply NOT enough. In a world of denial about the damage human behaviour is causing, it takes strong determined action to bring it to the front of the media and people's minds!
These people might be feeding their family, but if they destroy a species on the way to doing it, is that really OK? I've spoken to many people on board these boats, and they feel pretty bad about what's going on. Yet they still go back and do it. Apathy kills.
It's everyone's responsibility to say enough. Do you really have to dine on orange roughy tonight - or could you afford to say no and stop the destruction?
Posted by: Debs at June 9, 2005 05:21 PM
Ben Palmer makes an exellent point. Protesting against a trawler does nothing. You can harrass them to the extent that they will turn back for port because you are not allowing them to do their jobs. And when the skipper comes back without a full catch, he's probably going to get fired. Because it costs a lot of money to operate boats of that size. Sorry, but if I have the choice between saving ecosystems in the deep sea, and keeping my job and feeding my family, well, I never really liked coral all that much anyways. The family wins.
Personally, I can see your point and recognize the environmental dangers of deep sea trawling. But nothing, in my view, justifies putting people in danger unnecessarily.
What you have been doing is breaking the law of the seas. I'm shocked that your boatswain would allow people on his vessel to do such a dangerous thing, to themselves and others. The reliability of all your ship's officers is called into serious question by their participation in this venture.
The crews of these deep sea trawlers are just cogs in a big machine. Why not go talk to someone who has the ability to do something? Or cares?
Posted by: Simon Miles at June 9, 2005 05:26 AM
I do agree that deep sea trawling does affect sea life but myself knowing people that work on these ships i feel that what you are doing is wrong. protest with politics and at sealords head office but dont attack the workers. they really dont want to be out there fishing. i give my support to you guys. but please change youre tactics.
--tom
Posted by: tom at June 8, 2005 09:06 PM
Go the Ocean Reward. You are more creative than greenpeace can ever imagine to be. Let's stop Greenpeace using illegal and naive tatics in trying to prevent something they have little evidence that proves there arguement.
Posted by: carmen Electra at June 8, 2005 06:20 PM
Our lives begin to die the minute we become silent about things that matter. (Martin Luther King) Keep on using creative tactics because its the only way the attention of ignorant and often naive NZers like many of us, can be drawn to these important issues. Just always take care that no one gets hurt!
Posted by: Faye at June 8, 2005 04:10 PM
I agree to some extent with Simons comments. You are protesting against people who have little power to do anything about what you are saying. The guys on the boat cannot just stop doing their jobs if they want to get paid at the end of the voyage, running a boat is an expensive job. If you want to protest, protest to Sealords and other big companies that are allowing this to take place. If the head office at SeaLords says no more bottom trawling then that will force all their boats to stop.
I also agree with Simons comments relating to the navigation of the craft, If they have to keep their doors open or the net out you are effecting their navigation.
Its not that I disagree with your arguements about bottom trawling, Its just the way you are putting them across.
Cheers,
Ben
Posted by: Ben Palmer at June 8, 2005 03:07 PM
Let me pose to you a question: Do you have the right to interfere with those people going about there business? No. Your beliefs may convince you that you are in the moral right with your terror tactics - like interfering with the workings of a private vessel - but what you did was wrong.
Can't you see that thing like this are what destroy your public credibility? Who can respect a group that, to all intents and purposes, seems like a bunch of hooligans out vandalising fishing vessels. These actiosn are more worthy of frat boys than of a lobby group. Ditto anyone who dumps paint on people who wear fur coats: That is private property, and to destroy it is criminal. And anyways, they'll only go out and get another one.
The fact of the matter is that you do not have the right to do what you did. And it seems that the crew knew that as well. It's very well to say that you are a peaceful protest. Merhaps a vandalistic one would be abetter desription. And how can you say that you don't intend to hinder the skipper's navigation when you are attaching your vessels to his craft. That seems like interfering to me. I only wish they had the satisfaction of hitting one of you with the potatoes.
