New figures released by Greenpeace UK today reveal the extent of industrial fishing and shipping in the Sargasso Sea. The overall volume of vessels of any type crossing the Sargasso has increased by more than 30% since 2018. The vast majority of fishing activity, 97%, consists of drifting longlines associated with high levels of bycatch of marine mammals, turtles, seabirds and sharks.
The findings are released as pressure is mounting on the UK government to both ratify the UN Global Oceans Treaty and put forward the Sargasso Sea in the North Atlantic Ocean as one of the major first ocean sanctuaries under the treaty.
Fiona Nicholls, oceans campaigner for Greenpeace UK, said: “We’ve seen with our own eyes how the Sargasso Sea is a wildlife haven for many species that are found nowhere else, as well as for baby sea turtles and seabirds on their epic migrations across the Atlantic Ocean. But this research shows the sea is a Wild West that is facing growing pressure from shipping and industrial fishing fleets.
“Drifting longlines pose a major risk to this precious ecosystem because they fish indiscriminately, hooking marine mammals, turtles, seabirds and sharks along with their intended catch. Huge container ships and tankers plough through these waters every waking hour. In order to give the life of the Sargasso a fighting chance, governments must ratify the Global Ocean Treaty as soon as possible and champion the Sargasso Sea as the world’s first ocean sanctuary under the Treaty,” she added.
Longlines
Fishing lines called drifting longlines consist of a main-line kept near the surface with regularly spaced floats and long branches with baited hooks. Surface longlines can be very long, from 20 kilometres to more than 100 kilometres, and target large pelagic fish like tuna, swordfish and sharks. In the Sargasso Sea alone in 2023, fishing vessels used drifting longlines with an estimated combined total length of 1,980 kilometres, enough to cover the distance from the UK to Morocco.
The new data on fishing activity was compiled using data from Global Fishing Watch – an open-access database that tracks fishing vessels in almost real-time – and Automatic Information System, or AIS, tracking data transmitted from boats’ communication systems and compiled by Lloyd’s List Intelligence.
It reveals that fishing vessels spent a combined total of 22,881 hours engaged in apparent fishing activity in Sargasso Sea in 2023. The data show that these vessels mostly originated from Taiwan (13,021 hours of fishing in 2023), USA (4,169 hours), China Mainland (2,789 hours) and Spain (2,311 hours).
Including fishing vessels, more than 9,000 ships spent a combined total of 213 years crossing the Sargasso Sea in 2023 with a combined weight of over 500 million tonnes. The majority of these vessels (7,236) were giant ships more than 100m long, weighing over 10,000 tonnes each.
Greenpeace in the Sargasso
The Arctic Sunrise has spent the last three weeks on a voyage through the Sargasso Sea, documenting the stunning wildlife that lives there, conducting scientific research and engaging with decision-makers in Bermuda and the wider region.
Greenpeace UK is organising an open letter from Bermudian civil society, calling on the UK government to propose the Sargasso Sea as the first ocean sanctuary under the Global Ocean Treaty. The letter also calls on UK foreign secretary David Cameron to ratify the Treaty before a General Election.
Greenpeace UK is holding a high-level political workshop in Bermuda this week, with representatives of the Bermudian government and other stakeholders including from the fishing community, to discuss the creation of a high seas ocean sanctuary on the Sargasso Sea as a part of a global network of protected areas.
Since most of the Sargasso Sea lies in the high seas, outside national borders, tools for restricting human activity here have been extremely limited. The Global Ocean Treaty agreed in March last year makes it possible for governments to create sanctuaries on the high seas – like national parks at sea – where marine life can recover and thrive.
ENDS
Photo and video: High-res photos and video of the Arctic Sunrise in the Sargasso Sea, including drone footage, can be downloaded here.
Contacts:
To arrange an interview with a Greenpeace spokesperson, contact Kai Tabacek (Kai.Tabacek@greenpeace.org / +44 (0)7970 030 019) or Alex Sedgwick (Alexandra.Sedgwick@greenpeace.org / +44 (0) 7973 873 155)
Greenpeace International Press Desk: +31 (0)20 718 2470 (available 24 hours) / pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org . Follow @greenpeacepress on X/Twitter for our latest international press releases
Notes to editors:
Greenpeace UK’s media briefing with the full findings of this research can be downloaded here
For the weight calculation we used deadweight tonnage – a common unit of weight in shipping that measures how much weight a ship can carry when loaded to its maximum.
The Arctic Sunrise arrived in the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda on Sunday 5 May and remained in the Sargasso Sea until Wednesday 23 May 2024. Greenpeace UK has been holding a variety of events to engage with the Bermudian public, politicians, local environmental groups and scientists, including an open boat, tours of the ship and a workshop on ocean sanctuaries.
