PRESS RELEASE: Greenpeace records activities of bottom trawlers in the Northwest Atlantic
Northwest Atlantic, The Greenpeace ship Esperanza, documented a Portuguese bottom trawler, the Santa Cristina in international waters off the Canadian NE coast hauling in deep sea redfish.
The Esperanza is in the Northwest Atlantic to document and challenge the mismanagement by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO) of the deep sea fisheries under its care. Greenpeace is calling for an immediate moratorium on highseas bottom trawling because of its destructive impact on deep sea life (1).
The Portuguese flagged Santa Cristina belongs to the company, Aveiro Pesca. The company also owns and operates two other bottom trawlers, Calvao and Santa Mafalda. Both vessels have been cited for various infractions (2).
"Redfish is a deep sea species that is slow growing and very vulnerable to overfishing. NAFO does not have a good track record when it comes to this fishery", said Mariajo Caballero on board the Esperanza. " As well as mismanagement of the actual fishery, redfish also makes up a large part of the by-catch from the shrimp and Greenland halibut fishery putting more pressure on its long term survival."
It was only in 2004/2005 that redfish in this particular area came under NAFO regulation and the stocks are considered by NAFO's Scientific Council as "uncertain" and at low levels by historic standards. At the peak of the redfish fishery in 1987 79,000 MT were caught off the nose of the Grand Banks. The same area, known as 3L in NAFO has had a moratoria in place for redfish since 1998.
"The redfish fishery in NAFO is heading in the same direction as in the Arctic, Greenland and the Faroes Islands where it has been overfished and scientists are now recommending a zero quota," said Dr. Iris Menn on board the Greenpeace ship.
In 2001 Russia took the majority of the redfish caught in international waters of the Northwest Atlantic, and Germany is the key market for redfish in Europe. Over one-quarter of all groundfish imported into Germany in 2001 came from Russia.
The Esperanza will be in the NAFO area for the next three weeks.
Contacts:
On board the ship: Mariajo Caballero, Dr. Iris Menn, Bunny McDiarmid +00871 324469014
