While our friends on the Rainbow Warrior pursue bottom trawlers on the high seas we've also been busy back here in the Greenpeace office in Auckland.
Using New Zealand's 'Official Information Act' we have extracted this incredible image from the Ministry of Fisheries. Taken by a fisheries observer aboard a NZ bottom trawling vessel, the photo shows a piece of gorgonian coral bigger than the two men attempting to untangle it from their bottom trawl net, and you can also see more similar sized pieces still in the net. Gorgonian corals of this size are estimated to be around 500 years old!
These ancient coral 'trees' were then simply dumped overboard. And this is by no means an isolated incident ...we've heard first hand stories from ex fishermen of 4-5 tonne catches of coral repeatedly being bought up by bottom trawl nets and thrown overboard. Clearly bottom trawling is causing terrible damage to deep sea life. It is like clearfelling ancient rainforests ... something that is illegal above sea level in New Zealand.
Bottom trawl nets can be up to 40 metres wide and are dragged along the sea floor. Imagine the kinds of deep sea creatures that live amongst the coral and imagine what happens to them as the bottom trawls rip through their habitat.
This type of 'fishing' is considered by scientists to be the greatest threat to deep sea biodiversity and results in high levels of incidentally caught species, known as 'bycatch' or - we think more accurately - 'bykill'.
Our team in New York at the United Nations meeting this week will be using this image and others like it to illustrate their conversations with politicians and officials in their quest for a moratorium on bottom trawling in international waters.
"Sinfull shame jobs" What is there to be shamed about ? I'm a fisherman and i'm proud of it. No shame in my position on the bridge. Arrrr,commercial fisherman, don't don't ya just love us.
Posted by: Marlin Spike at June 26, 2005 06:37 PM
I came to live in Aotearoa partly because of its good record on environmental issues, so this shocks me to the core and saddens me deeply. Please, NZ, you are viewed as a country that is eco friendly - make sure you live up to that claim both on land and sea - no bottom trawling and no Marsden B.
Posted by: Dianne Khan at June 14, 2005 05:51 PM
Warriors of the Greenpeace! i personaly appriciate you attempt to cover this event and letting us know what these sinners do for their living...
Sinners of the world! do go to road and beg for bread with honer but dont do such sinful shame jobs...
Posted by: BadGer at June 14, 2005 04:42 AM
As a New Zealander I find it hard to believe that we could hurt something so beautiful!!! I really don't see the differnce between forrests on land and forrests in the sea. I think the same rules/protections should apply to the deep sea forrests!!!!!! GO THE RAINBOW WARROIR AND PROTECT OUR OCEAN!!!!!!
Posted by: Katie Anderson at June 10, 2005 11:14 AM
completly shocked, i had no idea this eco destruction was proceeding on. thank you for telling the world
