Greenpeace activists pulled into port in their rainbow-coloured boat yesterday, bearing what they say is compelling evidence of how trawling is wiping out fish stocks and devastating marine life.
The environmental group showed a video of foreign vessels in international waters hauling in massive nets that bulged with redfish and shrimp, mixed with starfish, sea anemones and juvenile fish.
The handful of activists captured the images during a two-week trip to the Grand Banks and Flemish Cap to document what they say are flagrant fishing violations and to show how the controversial fishing method is harming the marine ecosystem.
“I find it absolutely irresponsible and dishonest for the minister of fisheries in Canada to say that this type of gear is not destructive,” Bunny McDiarmid of Greenpeace said from the Esperanza in Halifax harbour.
“I mean, you only need to look at it – it’s designed to actually scrape along the seabed. How it can be selective or not destroy everything else that’s in its path is beyond me.”
The group is pressuring the Canadian government and the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization to impose a moratorium on trawling, which uses long nets to sweep up most things in their way.
Source: Edmonton Sun (Canada)
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