This morning Greenpeace prevented a fishing vessel from fishing in the proposed Dogger Bank Marine Reserve. Five activists in three inflatable boats blockaded the English owned Dutch operated beam trawler 'Johannes Calvijn', by positioning themselves along a line with buoys in the path of the vessel. The trawler passed the people in the water and sailed on.
The activists then approached another UK owned Dutch operated beam trawler 'Grietje Klaas' and attempted to prevent it setting its nets. The action is continuing now.
The action is taking place in a part of Dogger bank called Elbow Split, in the northern part of the Dutch EEZ. The area has been proposed by the government of the Netherlands as a Natura 2000 area - in recognition of the high biological value of the region and the threats it faces.
The Greenpeace proposed Dogger Bank Marine Reserve, an area of 85,000 square kilometres in the middle of the North Sea, is part of the German, UK, Dutch, Danish and Norwegian economic zones. It is one of the 17 proposed Marine Reserves in the North and Baltic Seas that Greenpeace is urging governments to make totally off limits to fishing, dredging, and mineral exploration. The proposed reserves were selected based on scientific survey data and include ecologically important habitats, as well as fish spawning and nursery grounds (1).
The North Sea faces a multitude of different threats from destructive fisheries to global warming. One of the biggest threats to the Dogger Bank region is an out of control fishing policy. Trawlers such as the Johannes Calvijn use big nets that destroy the seabed by ploughing into it as they pass, indiscriminately catching and killing everything in their path. About 80 percent of the total catch, which includes young and undersized fish that are too small and non-target species such as crabs, star fish, and octopus, are thrown overboard either dead or dying.
Greenpeace campaigner Sarah Duthie said, 'It is madness that such destructive fishing is allowed to continue in this important fish spawning ground. If we carry on destroying the North Sea and the life in it at this rate we are in danger of destroying this important environment forever. Politicians must act immediately to create large scale Marine Reserves that will provide the sea with protected areas, giving it time to recover.'
She continued, 'The North Sea faces many and varied threats. We need a system of marine protection that is capable of addressing them all. Marine reserves are an essential part of that approach. Politicians are not able to protect the North and Baltic Sea. The EU policies on both seas are completely incoherent. If they don't work on an integrated approach including the establishment of marine reserves, politicians may prove to be the greatest threat to the North and Baltic Seas.'
'It's not just Greenpeace that wants the area protected. The Dutch government would like to see it set aside as well. However, under today's legislation they are unable to protect it from destructive activities such beam trawling', she concluded.
Greenpeace ship Esperanza has just started the fifth week of a tour of the North Sea during which it has been defending marine life in the proposed marine reserve areas of the Dogger Bank and Viking Bank. In the first week of August Greenpeace demarcated the Dogger Bank Marine Reserve by setting three huge buoys around the perimeter of the reserve. After two days of collecting discards from a Belgian trawler, on 11 August Greenpeace prevented a Dutch beam trawler from continuing with its destructive fishing in the proposed Marine Reserve.
Further information
Contact the Greenpeace UK press office on 020 7865 8255. Supporting photo and video will be available.
You can reach the Esperanza via the Greenpeace UK press office. It is possible to speak to the crew live by videophone.
(1) On July 14 2004 Greenpeace published a report 'Rescuing the North and Baltic Seas: Marine Reserves a key tool', which details why the North and Baltic seas need protection and includes maps showing the locations of the proposed Marine Reserves. To download the report or find out more about the tour visit weblog.greenpeace.org/northsea/
