February 17, 2006
Meeting ends with no action on bottom trawling
The RFMO meeting at Te Papa in Wellington, NZ has now drawn to a close and the outcome with regard to bottom trawling can certainly be summarised as weak. But were not done yet - our team in New York continues the battle at the United Nation.
The meeting ended disappointingly with states failing to take any immediate action to protect life in the deep sea from the destruction caused by high seas bottom trawling.
Despite scientists warning the world that species are being pushed to extinction and thousands of people from around the world calling on delegates to take urgent action, they have instead chosen to sit on their hands and sacrifice deep-sea life while talks continue for the next few years.
The inside word is that many Pacific Island States including Fiji, Kiribati, Vanuatu, and France for its territories led the charge for protecting deep-sea life. Vanuatu summed up the meeting well by saying that the real issue was being hidden under the carpet.
Unfortunately however, fishing nations blocked the Pacific proposal for an immediate temporary ban on bottom trawling and the destruction continues.
The failure to implement a temporary ban shows once again that Regional Fisheries Management Organisations are inadequate and only a global moratorium on bottom trawling in international waters through the United Nations will protect deep-sea life.
Comments on this entry:
I consider any Vanuatu comments as cinic one, because Vanuatu is a Country that don't have any problem in giving convinence flag for any vessels. Many of this vessels are trawlers, and fish in the Pacific area without any regulation.
Vanuatu doesn't control or monitoring this vessels, and the only important for this country is take the money of fishing licences.
It is easy to say MORATORIUM, but who made control, monitoring and survillance in this large area?
as you said... "the devil is in the detail"
Posted by: Anonymous at February 18, 2006 2:46 AM
