Commenting on the publication of today's Marine Bill White Paper, Willie Mackenzie, oceans campaigner for Greenpeace, said:
"After climate change, protecting the oceans is one of the greatest environmental challenges, and the Government admits this. But there’s simply too many 'coulds' and not enough 'wills' in this white paper.
"'Ifs' and 'buts' will not save extremely threatened species like cod. Protecting marine species and habitats means stopping destructive fishing. Yet this proposed legislation suggests that the Government still intends to hide behind EU bureaucrats rather than tackle unsustainable fishing head-on.
"This legislation simply will not adequately protect the oceans unless it protects areas from all destructive activities including fishing.
"So now David Miliband is responsible for making sure that the spin around this Bill actually translates into proper protection for the oceans. And he’s also got to make sure that this happens as soon as possible."If this Bill passes without ensuring the introduction of large-scale marine reserves, which are basically like national parks at sea, it will be a failure."
ENDS
Greenpeace press office: 020 7865 8255.
