Greenpeace activists lock themselves to high seas bottom trawler

In blocking the Chang Xing's departure, Greenpeace also locked metal braces and a large sculpture of a deep-sea coral to the vessel's stern as a reminder of the deep sea life being destroyed daily by high seas bottom trawlers. They tied a banner to the stern with the words 'The trawl's in your court NZ'.

"We've done what the Government should be doing: taking strong action against bottom trawlers who are destroying unique deep-sea life out in international waters", said Greenpeace oceans campaigner Mike Hagler.
The Rainbow Warrior previously encountered the Chinese bottom trawler, Chang Xing,  in international waters of the Tasman Sea in 2004.

Greenpeace exposed the damage caused by dragging heavy bottom trawl nets across the sea floor by filming and photographing the Chang Xing's crew dump large quantities of unwanted species including lantern sharks, squid, deep-sea kina and endangered black coral.

In November this year, the UN will make final decisions about whether to impose a moratorium on bottom trawling in international waters to halt destruction until scientists can document the areas that need protection and governments can develop the ways and means to protect them.   

Since the issue was first raised two years ago, a significant number of Governments have come forward to support a moratorium, like the UK, Brazil, Germany and Sweden.

"New Zealand now needs to come forward and live up to our clean, green reputation on the international political stage – we can and we should now support the moratorium."

He pointed out that the UK's Fisheries Minister, Ben Bradshaw, recently told a global conference of marine scientists he wants to see an end to destructive deep-sea bottom trawling, and called on governments to take urgent global action.

A timely incentive for today's Greenpeace action against the Chang Xing came from a UN report released two weeks ago (1), which stated that governments have done nothing to protect deep-sea biodiversity from destructive fishing in international waters.

"The UN's Oceans Division report confirmed what we've known all along," Hagler added:  "the survival of the countless species found in the deep sea is jeopardised by bottom trawlers like the Chang Xing. This gives New Zealand the opportunity to follow our own policies for biodiversity protection and move with the leaders of the advancing tide of international opinion in support of the moratorium on bottom trawling in international waters."

"It's intolerable that the Chang Xing and a few hundred other bottom trawlers - including some from New Zealand – can get away with bulldozing vulnerable habitats and species to oblivion in the unregulated high seas.  Unless this practice is halted, we could lose species and deep-sea habitats forever," Hagler said. "A UN moratorium on bottom trawling in international waters is the only effective solution."