Blog: Oceans

Stopping cod trawlers fishing the hard way

Posted by jossc - 12 May 2007 at 11:30am - Comments

A Greenpeace swimmer attempts to prevent a North Sea cod trawler from fishing

We're still out here in the North Sea talking to trawlermen to convince them to stop fishing cod to extinction, and taking action against those who just won't listen.

For a few days now, we've had no luck locating cod fishing vessels, but that finally changed last night when we came across a Scottish trawler fishing for cod 40 miles east of Unst, the most northerly point of the Shetland Isles. They were reluctant to talk to us, so we decided to wait until morning and pay them a visit.

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

From the arms (or legs) of Stronsay

Posted by jossc - 9 May 2007 at 12:00am - Comments

Bird's eye view? Close up of a gannet in flight

The weather gods are shaking their fists at us again, forcing the Artic Sunrise to seek shelter in one of the three large bays of Stronsay in the Orkney Isles. Which is bad news for our mission, but good news for the 'twitchers' amongst the crew as the island abounds with birdlife and we've arrived here smack in the middle of the breeding season. Large colonies of gannets and fulmars live on the cliffs to the south and west, and there's also a loch and marshes which are havens for ducks and waders including the rare pintail (perhaps only 50 breeding pairs in Britain). And there are land (as opposed to sea) birds here too - swallows flew overhead as we lowered our anchor chain yesterday evening.

Article tagged as: arctic sunrise, birds, north sea, oceans, seals, stronsay

What can EU do?

Posted by Willie - 9 May 2007 at 12:00am - Comments

Greenpeace's call for 40 per cent of our oceans to be set aside as reserves may sound radical, or even far-fetched. But it isn't. Others, such as the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution have echoed what we're asking for. And sometimes, size DOES matter.

Large-scale Marine Reserves build in resilience to the ecosystems they encompass, allowing them to adapt to changes we might not even be able to predict (as well as those we are anticipating, like climate change). Most of what politicians have proposed quite simply doesn't go far enough: they are either too small, or too weak (the proposals, not the politicians).

Article tagged as: arctic sunrise, EU, marine reserves

Viking Bank holiday

Posted by Willie - 8 May 2007 at 11:05am - Comments

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

We've had 'weather' out at sea, so again we've sought some shelter of the remote island of Fetlar. It's both reassuring to be near land when the wind's blowing, and frustrating when we can't set foot on it. I think many people on board would love to go for a nice long walk that didn't involve stairs or a handrail.

Article tagged as: arctic sunrise, fetlar, marine reserves, north sea, oceans, scotland, shetland

Jellyfish risotto, anyone?

Posted by jossc - 8 May 2007 at 10:57am - Comments

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

Marlin, swordfish, tuna, snapper, sea bass and cod. What have they all got in common, apart from the obvious? Well, they are all large predatory species which occupy the top spot (or close to it) in the food chain in their respective neigbourhoods. Or at least they used to. Last November, an international group of ecologists and economists, led by Boris Worm of Dalhousie University, published a study that made headlines around the world.

Article tagged as: arctic sunrise, cod, marine reserves, north sea, oceans, overfishing, scotland, tuna

Thoughts from a little boat on a big ocean

Posted by jossc - 7 May 2007 at 12:00am - Comments

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

StenPosted by Sten the activist

Life on a ship is special, there's nothing else like it.

You're thrown together with a small group of people in a small space, in a big void. In these conditions you get to know people much faster than you usually do in normal life. I've met a lot of people onboard who I really like, and I know I'm going to miss when I leave the ship. And then, of course, I've encountered one or two who I like a bit less.

I've visited places I hadn't been to before - Bergen and the Shetlands so far - and done the things I came here to do - bobbed around in a dry-suit in front of a trawler, holding a 'Cod in Crisis' sign to get the message out that the North Sea needs marine reserves.

Article tagged as: arctic sunrise, marine reserves, oceans, scotland, shetland

Passing pigeons

Posted by Willie - 6 May 2007 at 9:00am - Comments

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

A couple of rock doves passed over the Arctic Sunrise this morning, heading for nearby cliffs on Fetlar. These birds are typically found on cliffs like those around Shetland, but are probably better known as the feral pigeons that have colonised the artificial cliffs we have built in our towns and cities.

Article tagged as: arctic sunrise, cod, extinction, marine reserves, north sea, oceans, passenger pigeons, scotland, shetland

Farewell Fetlar

Posted by Willie - 5 May 2007 at 12:00pm - Comments

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

A gannet in the North Sea near Sheltand

A gannet in the waters of Shetland © Greenpeace/Christien Åslund

On Friday morning we left the shelter of Shetland, where we had spent a day at anchor in a secluded bay off the northerly island of Fetlar. I've never been there before, but it was a lovely spot to stop. We didn't go onto land, which was a shame because some of the crew had been practising their ceilidh dancing especially since we were headed towards Scotland's most northerly isles.

Article tagged as: arctic sunrise, birdwatching, fetlar, lerwick, marine reserves, north sea, oceans, scotland, shetland

Wake-up calls

Posted by portia - 5 May 2007 at 10:30am - Comments

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

Although my day begins at 3.45am, I wake the rest of the crew at 7.30, for them to begin work at 8. There are varying responses to my knock on the cabin door, followed by a, "Good morning, it's 7.30." Some grunt, others half-heartedly wave an arm and one very lively soul politely says, "Thank you Portia."

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

Tall tales from the fishing fleet

Posted by Willie - 4 May 2007 at 3:00pm - Comments

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

Since we left Fetlar we have engaged with a lot of fishing vessels north of Shetland, mostly Scottish boats but also German and Norwegian. Where possible we have tried to communicate with them, particularly those involved in catching cod, either as a target species or as bycatch. And we have had some interesting conversations with them.

Article tagged as: cod, marine reserves, north sea, oceans, overfishing, scotland, shetland
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