The Last of the Norwegians

Posted by Dave at 07:40 PM, November 16, 2004

(C) Greenpeace

We have been on this campaign for over a month now, hunting bottom trawlers who trawl on the Atlantic ridge and destroy small but important ecosystems and the animals living there. My job is primarily based on board the ship. But I join actions as much as my duty permits. I have been on since Falmouth, at the start of October.

Early on the trip, we did documentation and actions on Spanish trawlers. We then came into Dublin for a crew change and a break, before heading back out to the North Atlantic. At the end of our voyage, finally we found a Lithuanian trawler - on which we did a mass boarding, with twelve people.

After they hauled their nets and got the fish out, we lay down on the nets and made it difficult for them to do anything with it. But they still moved their nets around with all of us on them. After a long night, and a transit of five to six hours they decided to set their nets with us on top of it! I could not believe it and was a bit worried at first, but decided that I was going to stay on the net.

We wanted to stop them from setting their net, but the captain was persistent and dropped into the ocean. It all went really fast - from the moment two others and me were going down the chute and into the Atlantic! I did not have time to think - before I knew it, I was floating in the sea like a buoy. I was picked up by the African queen (one of our inflatables).

It all went really well and we slowed them down for a while and got some amazing footage of a bottom trawler in action.

This was Saturday, now we are on our way to Vigo in Spain for a press conference and an open boat day.

I hope many people will show up. We are doing hard work but having a good time.

- Odin (The last of the Norwegians)