What has the UN got to do with squid?
Posted by Adele at 09:17 AM, October 28, 2004
As we have been bobbing around in the North Atlantic over the last few weeks, a critical meeting has been going on in New York that could determine the fate of deep sea life on the high seas. The United Nations General Assembly meets once a year, and as it involves all the governments of the world it is quite a long meeting! It started in September and finishes on the 16 November. They discuss many different issues, including oceans and fisheries issues, and they pass resolutions or make agreements on what they are going to do about these issues.
This year, the hot topic at the UN has been bottom trawling on the high seas. This has been thanks to the coordinated effort of a global coalition of environmental groups, including Greenpeace's lobby team in New York, in countries around the world and due to our activities out here to highlight the destruction of bottom trawling.
The UN is the only body that can do something about the destructive practice of bottom trawling on the high seas - the parts of the world's oceans outside of countries' jurisdiction. The marine life and fragile ecosystems of the deep sea, which are home to millions of species including corals, crustaceans, fish and squid, are part of the global commons - they belong to everyone.
But there are a handful of countries taking a small amount of fish for a small wealthy market, that are devastating these areas by bottom trawling, now the single biggest threat to deep sea life.
The only effective short term measure to protect these amazing ecosystems, and to ensure we don't lose more species before scientists have even had a chance to study or name them, is a moratorium.
A moratorium on high seas bottom trawling would allow time to study the deep sea then to put in place legal agreements to protect these areas and to sustainably manage the fisheries.
So, as you can see, the UN has everything to do with squid!
These few weeks leading up to the 4th of November are a critical time at the UN. The delegates have been in negotiations about the oceans and fisheries resolutions, which include what to do about bottom trawling, and they must agree by November 4th.
Unfortunately the EU, as well as doing the most bottom trawling on the high seas, has also been blocking moves to protect the deep sea.
This has been at the same time as we have been documenting the destruction of incredible deep sea life by EU bottom trawl fleets in the North Atlantic.
So the information, images and footage that we collect here has been sent straight to our team at the UN, where it has been distributed to delegates and used in meetings to show our world leaders the enormous problem that is going on as they talk and to push them to do the right thing.
- Vanessa, campaigner
