Into the mouth of the beast

Posted by at 12:13 PM, October 27, 2004

(C) Greenpeace

Out here on the Atlantic, it's just another day in the office. After getting one activist on the cod end of yesterday's trawl net, today we went the next step.

Two activists (Francois and Erkut) jumped onto the cod end, but this time they were able to stay on. As the net was hauled up the stern ramp of the trawler, they were still there, holding up the banner "EU deep sea destroyer". The net was hauled up the ramp and onboard with our two activists still hanging onto the cod end - straight into the mouth of the beast!

Arriving on the deck of the bottom trawler by this non-conventional route, they made their way up on to the upper deck at the trawler's stern and attached a second banner to the upper railing. Not content with this, they then hoisted a banner up the flagpole at the stern. Again, feeling that they could go one better again, they then climbed the A frame on top of the stern upper deck until they were right up next to the flag banner.

They remained onboard for about 25 minutes before jumping from the deck in, given the circumstances, was a fairly synchronised maneuver the circumstances. Still displaying their banners in the water they were then safely picked up by the inflatables.

A quick chocolate and muesli bar break later, and the inflatables were back to the Playa de Menduina.

By this time the bottom trawler had set its net again.

Our activists attempted to stop the fishing by interfering with the cables. Unfortunately it didn't quite work as well as we hoped.

At first it looked like we had succeeded in stopping them fishing, as they started to haul for a bit and then lowered the net again. We now think that this was just an adjustment of the net.

The workers onboard the bottom trawler have been remarkably relaxed about our activities to date, which is a pretty unexpected reaction from fishermen to people interfering with their work.

We have also just heard from the United Nations General Assembly (the big meeting of the UN), currently going on in New York, that bottom trawling is going to be discussed tomorrow, Wednesday.

So we want to do all we can out here to stop the destruction as it is occurring and send a clear message to the world leaders, and particularly to the EU, that they must act to protect the deep sea environment.

-Vanessa