Greenpeace today (22 December 2005) warned that the European Union has failed to protect North Sea cod stocks from the threat of extinction, ignoring key scientific advice to ban fishing for cod in the North Sea for the fourth year running.
New study shows interest in protecting ocean is high
(December 14, 2005) In the first-ever poll of European consumers, supermarkets, chefs and restaurateurs on attitudes toward seafood and the ocean, 79% said that the environmental impact of seafood is an important factor in their purchasing decisions.
The Japanese whaling fleet left port this morning to kill almost 1,000 whales, including endangered fin whales.
The fleet is heading towards the Southern Ocean, flouting an international ban on commercial whaling. Earlier this year, Japan announced its intention to more than double its cull of minke whales to 935 and to increase its programme further by killing 70 fin and 50 humpback whales - both of which are endangered - within the next three years.
The Court of Appeal today (Monday 31st October) ruled that it was legal for the government to make an order to limit pair trawling despite the fact that scientific evidence suggested the order would kill more dolphins than it would save.
Iceland's annual whale hunt has stopped for this year after killing almost 40 minke whales.
The so-called 'scientific' hunt has faced fierce criticism from Greenpeace, who have pointed towards the damage the hunt is causing to Iceland's international reputation and growing tourist industry. The whale hunt was worth an estimated US$4million at its peak, while whale-watching alone attracts over 80,000 tourists and is worth almost US$20million a year.
Greenpeace is returning to the High Court today to challenge the government over its failure to prevent the deaths of thousands of dolphins every year.
The hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice resumes after being adjourned in July.
The biggest threat to marine ecosystems globally is destructive and unsustainable fishing practices. An estimated 23% of the global fisheries catch is thrown back into the sea, dead and wasted. As well as over-fishing target fish stocks, fisheries are destroying the biodiversity of the oceans.
Greenpeace today strongly criticised the Icelandic government's decision to issue quotas to hunt whales for the third year running. The government has just granted permission for 39 minke whales to be killed in the 2005 hunt. The Icelandic go-ahead comes just 2 weeks after so-called 'scientific whaling' was condemned by the International Whaling Commission at its 2005 meeting in Ulsan, Korea.
