Tackling trawlers, take two

Posted by jossc - 14 May 2007 at 4:20pm - Comments

Follow the crew of the Arctic Sunrise on their campaign for Marine Reserves in our North Sea Tour blog

A Greenpeace activist floats in the North Sea with a banner saying 'Stop Battering Cod' Two pair trawlers we encountered yesterday admitted they were fishing for cod and told us confusingly fishy stories. One boat said it was catching lots of big cod, while the other reckoned they'd trawled loads of young fish. Either way they shouldn't be taking any – cod stocks are now only a fraction of what they were a decade or two ago.

We tracked them and last night managed to document one of the trawlers off-loading bycatch after a haul. As well as lots of small fry, many big recognisable fish were being dumped back into the sea dead or dying, commercial species such as ling, mackerel and redfish. Remember - this waste of life as bycatch is on top of the legal fishing limits which EU scientists say are unsustainable. And they've said that for seven years in a row now – so why aren't the politicians and the fishermen listening?

Early this morning, we made radio contact with the vessels and asked them to stop fishing because North Sea cod are being pushed towards extinction. When they failed to respond, we sent out our inflatable boats and put a swimmer in the water in front of one of the trawlers, holding a flag saying 'Stop Battering Cod'. The aim was to disrupt them while fishing, and it worked. The trawlers soon turned and began to haul their nets.

Then, as they moved off and started to put their net in the water again, we tried another delaying tactic - attaching a large buoy to the fishing net to prevent it from sinking properly. This forced them to haul it back in to remove the buoy, which they punctured in the process.

We're out in the North Sea taking action because politicians haven't. And stopping cod fishing now isn't just about saving cod - ironically, it's about saving the fishing industry too. Tell the politicans it is time for them to take action too, before it is too late. Write to David Miliband and tell him our oceans need marine reserves (This action is now closed).

Article tagged as: arctic sunrise, cod, direct action, marine reserves, north sea, oceans, scotland, shetland

Comments Commenting is now closed

I don't want to go against your opinion on the matter of North Sea Cod stocks, BUT!!!

Over recent years while sport fishing in Shetland before I moved to Norway, I have noticed a very dramatic increase in the number of Cod caught. 15 years ago a days angling in the waters near Sumburgh Head might have resulted in one or two Cod, but now they are almost a nuisance.
How can this equate with your statements that they are in serious danger.
Don't get me wrong, I am all in favour of reserves being established, but I think an outright ban is not necessary.

I am firmly of the belief that fishermen, well Shetland ones at least, are very concious of the need for conservation, because if the fishery fails, then so does their income. I personally know fishermen who are making deliberate efforts to avoid Cod, in favour of other species.

Also, I would like to add that although I find most of your work admirable, having your activists floating around in front of trawlers in the North Sea with a sign, is foolhardy, irresponsible, and just plain stupid. What if your person was injured in this exploit and the rescue services had to be tasked to come to their aid while another emergency unfolded and lives were lost? Would your headlines be favourable in those circumstances? I think not.

By Robbie - 14 May 2007 at 11:17pm

Looking from abroad it's a pure commercial stunt in a water where just a couple of weeks ago 8 crew of the Bourbon Dolphin lost their lives obviously due to uncalculable responds by sea and boats.
You must not wonder if you will loose all credits you might have had in the fishing communities around the North Sea.
Sad days for greenpeace and its proclaimed aims.

By hamburger - 15 May 2007 at 3:26pm

I can only agree with the two previous comments. It was a dangerous stunt which you pulled. God forbid if there had been casualties, the skippers of the fishing boats would have had to live with that. And remember there is a family behind every skipper/crew member.
The fishermen from Shetland have witnessed a significent increase in cod stocks recently. So much so that local boats have left local fishing grounds in order not to catch this cod, as they have so little qouta for it.
During Greenpeaces last visit to the fishing grounds around Shetland there were positive comments on this site from the Greenpeace crew regarding the response received from local boats (i seached your site to recall actual comments but it doesn't go back that far). As i recall Shetland boats had taken on board your advice. It is sad that this is the way you choose to communicate with them now.
Shetland fishermen value open and honest discussion between scientists, industry representatives and conservation groups to resolve issues. Perhaps Greenpeace should too.

By fish123 - 15 May 2007 at 8:36pm

Hi,

I'm afraid I have to disagree with the way you carried out your stunt. I'm from a fishing family and know that what you did was highly dangerous for all involved. It was therefore rather stupid and you owe both an appology and a vote of thanks that they stopped for you.

Please, by all means, protest, but not when it puts lives in danger. Secondly, please go after the politicians, not fishermen as what they were doing is quite legal.

By mickey mackay - 15 May 2007 at 9:23pm

this is stupid, i like fish and chips. whats fish and chips without cod? i'll tell u, just chips, and thats boring>:-(

By c1a2w3t4 - 16 May 2007 at 1:55pm

wow i sure do love trees

By treehugger2 - 16 May 2007 at 2:00pm

these tax dodging idiots who try and stop honest tax paying people making a living should be locked up. they obviously have no idea about fish stocks. fishermen are doing there best to avoid cod as the sea is full of them yet they have no quota to land them. its a fishermens worst nightmare to catch cod. they are doing there best to avoid them. the are seeing more cod now than they have in years. these green piece idiots should get a real job and contribute to society like the rest of us.

By taxdodgingidiots - 16 May 2007 at 2:51pm

Thanks for the politeness of (most of) these comments - it's appreciated.

OK - so, North Sea fishermen claim that cod are so numerous that they’re becoming a nuisance, there are more in the sea than ever and it’s a real struggle avoiding the blighters. No doubt they’re all absolute whoppers, too.

Greenpeace claim - but then Greenpeace are just a bunch of dirty hippies who wouldn’t know their stern from their elbow, so we can safely ignore them.

The International Council for the Exploration of the Seas - scientists who advise the EU on fishing quotas - claim that cod in the North Sea are at such a dangerously low level that there should be a quota of zero. They said the same thing last year. And the year before that. And the year before that and…well, you get the idea.

But, as our opponents in many fields never tire of pointing out, scientists have been wrong before. Well, yes, but then, so have fishermen.

The most productive cod fishery in the world used to be the Grand Banks off Newfoundland. Industrial fishing methods arrived, cleared out the cod, and the fishery collapsed. A moratorium was introduced to allow the stocks to recover in 1992.

It’s still in place. Stocks haven’t recovered.

Right up to the end of the fishery, the local fishermen were insisting that there were plenty of cod, that stocks were higher than they’d ever been and that the scientists were just plain wrong.

So Greenpeace are accusing the North Sea fishermen of telling tall tales? Not necessarily. The data on catches-per-unit of the Grand Banks trawler fleet shows that their highest ever figures come from 1992, just as the population collapsed. This was due to a phenomenon called ‘hyper-aggregation’, where the pressure on their environment causes fish to cluster together in higher and higher densities. This may be what the North Sea fishermen are observing.

Here’s a quote from one of those Grand Banks trawlermen, addressing his European counterparts:

"It would be better for them to take drastic measures now, bite the bullet for a little while and then hopefully their stock will rebuild.

"Not like what happened to us, just letting it go until there was nothing left.

"As far as Newfoundland is concerned now, our fishery has gone - wiped out, and all because of greed and stupidity."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2580733.stm

Graham
gpuk

PS I've responded to the safety / recklessness accusations over here.

By graham - 17 May 2007 at 3:12pm