Greenpeace Blog

The floating factories finishing off our fish

Posted by Willie — 28 February 2013 at 5:36pm - Comments
Activists intercept the world’s second largest factory fishing trawler, the FV M
All rights reserved. Credit: Greenpeace

Q: when is a fishing boat not a fishing boat?

A: when it’s actually a floating factory.

No, it’s not a good joke. It’s not much of a joke at all.

Article tagged as: factory fishing, fishing, monster boats, overfishing

Hardcore prawns: trashing tropical seas for a cheap treat

Posted by Willie — 28 February 2013 at 5:24pm - Comments

When I was little, salmon and shrimps were posh, fancy food, served up at celebrations and the like. Fast forward a few decades and both of those have descended to becoming everyday food, available in pre-packed sandwiches and cheap meals in every supermarket.

But cheap and available at what real cost?

Article tagged as: bycatch, fishing, hugh's fish fight, overfishing, prawns, shrimp, shrimp farms

We are all No Dash for Gas

Posted by jamie — 27 February 2013 at 3:10pm - Comments
by. Credit: No Dash for Gas
No Dash for Gas at West Burton power station

Twenty-one people took direct action to stop the dash for gas and got slapped with a £5m lawsuit. Here’s how you can help them fight back.

Article tagged as: battle for britain, climate, energy, gas, No Dash for Gas

Vertical catwalks in Milan as fashion brands get an eco-friendly make-over

Posted by Richardg — 26 February 2013 at 5:48pm - Comments

It's about time that major fashion labels cleaned up their act. They're still using toxic chemicals and buying from companies that are chopping down rainforests.

Article tagged as: amazon, Detox, Fashion Duel, forests, indonesia

Saving the Southern Ocean: the penguins need you!

Posted by Willie — 21 February 2013 at 5:33pm - Comments
King Penguins in the St. Andrews Bay on South Georgia in the Atlantic Ocean
All rights reserved. Credit: Markus Mauthe / Greenpeace
Antarctica's land needs protecting, but so do its oceans

Antarctica is special. It’s home to globally recognisable species that we, as a planet, value. It’s a continent apart from all others, and it’s a place we have all pledged to protect for the future.

But this isolated continent is surrounded by a sea, the Southern Ocean, that doesn’t yet have the protection it needs.

Article tagged as: antarctic oceans alliance, antarctica, fishing, overfishing, southern ocean

Krill intentions: how low can fishing go?

Posted by Willie — 21 February 2013 at 5:14pm - Comments
Red Krill Oil, advertised by Carol Vorderman
All rights reserved. Credit: www.bioglanredkrilloil.com
No fishy taste? Claims that krill fishing is sustainable are hard to swallow

It’s a sad day, but I think I have run out of krill puns. Well, I’ve been banging on about this for a few years now, and since Happy Feet 2 basically unleashed every krill joke possible, courtesy of Matt Damon and Brad Pitt, there’s not a lot left.

And that, dear readers, is my worry about krill itself.

Article tagged as: carol vorderman, fishing, hugh's fish fight, krill, overfishing, red krill oil, southern ocean

Tweet for (Green) Britain

Posted by jamess — 15 February 2013 at 10:35am - Comments
Tweet for good - let's green the UK's energy supply
by. Credit: Greenpeace

Listen up tweeps, put your Twitter addiction to seriously good use. It's Friday experiment time.

With the help of some volunteers we've pulled together a list of all MPs on twitter. We need to lobby as many of them as we can, to make sure they support the urgent amendment to clean our electricity currently in front of Parliament (here it is in the full geeky details).

Saving our seas means striking the right balance

Posted by Willie — 14 February 2013 at 5:52pm - Comments
Fish near a FAD in Palau
All rights reserved. Credit: Alex Hofford / Greenpeace

At a most basic level, the idea of protecting areas for nature and the benefits that brings is pretty simple. Where it gets tricky is when there are competing interests in the form of human activities.

Article tagged as: global oceans commission, marine reservers, overfishing, sustainable fishing

The price of scallops - time to judge dredge?

Posted by Willie — 14 February 2013 at 12:44pm - Comments

‘Dredge’ is one of those evocative words that just doesn’t sound nice. When it comes to the seabed, the effects of dredging are certainly none-too-pleasant. That’s true whether it’s scouring out the seabed on purpose to remove sand and gravel, or using heavy metal fishing gear to churn up the sea floor to catch scallops that live in it. 

The trailer for the new series of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Fish Fight (which starts tonight at 9pm on Channel 4) shows quite graphically what dredging for scallops looks like. 

Article tagged as: dredging, fishing, food, hugh's fish fight, overfishing, scallops, seafood

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