In death, they speak even louder
Posted by Page (in Amsterdam)
|
On Tuesday this week, we displayed the animals on "het plein" in The Hague, here in the Netherlands, right in front of Dutch parliament. Seeing the wounds was absolutely heartbreaking; I am haunted by the memory of the face of a harbor porpoise, barely recognizable because of the damage it sustained. I won't ever forget the dolphins with their tails cut off by fishermen, so they would sink (more photos here, and here).
We handed out fliers, and talked to lots of people. Almost without exception, everyone I talked to was curious about how the animals died, and were shocked to find out that the Dutch government isn't making much of an effort to enforce the EU Habitats Directive. We had "death certificates" displayed next to each animal, so people saw that some of them had drowned in nets used by Dutch fishing companies.
We didn't display them across the street from the entrance to Dutch parliament by coincidence; we chose that spot because we wanted to emphasize to the public that their lawmakers are not doing enough to make sure the Habitats Directive is followed.
The ultimate goal is to establish a network of marine reserves where cetaceans (and so much other ocean life) will be safe from harm. And, of course, fishing practices must be modified so that bycatch is kept to a minimum, if not eliminated.
300,000 of these creatures die each year as bycatch, from collisions with ships, the effects of military sonar, and increasingly, from the effects of global warming. With our display, we hope that these animals' silence in death has been a shout to the politicians not just in EU member states, but in governments around the world.
Comments
Hey Page - That's amazing that you guys got all those cetaceans to show people whay happens out there. So many people find it hard to beleive that dolphins and whales could face such horrible threats but the fact that you are taking this shocking evidence right out in the open is the best way to raise awareness and bring an end to end to it. The photos on here make tears well up in my eyes!
Posted by: Lisa | June 1, 2007 1:53 AM
The EU member states and the governments around this world, at least in a democrazy, ought to be the representatives of the people, but they don't always act like that. Most times it's a matter of money and profits on a short term base. A lot of people are aware of what's happening to the whales, dolphins and other cetaceans, but don't know what to do about it. Most of them have lost their convidence in politicians who seems to promiss a lot and after the elections seems to ignore their promisses. Greenpeace should not only give them a platform, but also should cooperate with other Environmental- and Animalprotectionorganisations on this world. They all share the same goal: to protect the many lifeforms on this planet. Forget all your differences and unite, because unity still makes power! With all the people worlwide that support all these organisations we really can make a difference to all the moneymakers in this world.
Monica (roos)
Posted by: Monica S.D. Franken-van den Berg | June 1, 2007 10:17 PM