U.N. ocean trawling ban blocked by Iceland
mongabay.com
November 24, 2006
United Nations negotiators failed to agree on a measure banning deep-sea bottom trawling, a practice that has been called highly destructive by environmental groups. Iceland, a country recently criticized for its resumption of commercial whaling, blocked the U.N. resolution.
Environmental groups expressed displeasure with the move.
"The international community should be outraged that Iceland could almost singlehandedly sink deep-sea protection and the food security of future generations. Iceland should be embarrassed as should all those states that did not stand up to them and fight for the future of the oceans," said Karen Sack, Oceans Policy Advisor for Greenpeace International.
[top] The strange-looking deep sea creature known as the Blobfish (Genus Psychrolutes). Photo courtesy of Greenpeace International. [bottom] trawling diagram courtesy of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
"The Deep Sea Conservation Coalition has condemned northern fishing nations, the European Community, South Korea, and Russia for blocking measures which would have protected deep-sea life in the South Pacific," said a statement from the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, an advocacy group representing more than 60 conservation organizations from around the world. "Those participants stubbornly opposed attempts by countries negotiating a new regional fisheries management organisation to put in place strong measures, including measures that would have protected vulnerable marine ecosystems from the damage caused by bottom trawl fishing in international waters."
Reuters reports that eleven nations have high-seas bottom trawling fleets -- Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Russia and Spain -- while Australia, the United States, Britain, Norway, New Zealand, Brazil, India, South Africa, Chile, Germany, Canada and Palau are among the countries that have supported efforts to strictly regulate trawling.
Trawling is a method of fishing that one or more boats involves towing a cone-shaped net across the sea floor. Conservation groups say the practice depletes marine life and causes ecological damage to reefs and the sea floor.
This article used information from Reuters and Greepeace.
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