whaling

Greenpeace today slammed the European Union for pushing cod closer to extinction in British waters.

Under pressure from Tony Blair's government, EU ministers ignored scientific advice calling for a halt to cod fishing for the third year in a row. They also threw out proposals to close some fishing grounds to protect cod stocks.

Even though scientists and environmentalists stress that the only way to save beleaguered cod stocks is to enforce a 'zero catch' allowance, EU fisheries ministers chose to leave the cod quota at last year's already high level.

Greenpeace today (7th December) welcomed the findings of a major investigation by the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (RCEP) into the environmental effects of marine fisheries.

Greenpeace urged the government to include key recommendations from the report - such as the creation of large-scale marine reserves within five years - in their forthcoming Marine Bill.

The group also urged the government to restrict destructive fishing practices like bottom trawling, a method of fishing which ploughs up the ocean floor.

Japan's 'research' whaling fleet set sail to the Antarctic on 13/11/04 to kill more whales in the name of 'science'. 2004 will be the 18th year of Japanese whale hunting, thinly disguised as 'scientific research'. In that time over 6,000 Antarctic Minke whales have been killed.

It has been claimed that the research is for the International Whaling Committee (IWC) but the IWC has said they do not need the data and has repeatedly asked that the programme be stopped. The waters surrounding the Antarctic were made into a whale sanctuary in 1994.

Conservation groups welcome Tesco PLC's announcement that it has decided to stop selling all cetacean (whale, dolphin and porpoise) products in its Japanese supermarkets. The decision follows a joint campaign by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), WDCS (Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society) and Greenpeace.

Greenpeace today slammed the government for failing to take sufficient action to prevent the deaths of thousands of dolphins around the UK every year.

Greenpeace has welcomed reports that the government is proposing to designate marine reserves to allow damaged oceans to recover.(1)

A Greenpeace ship, the MY Esperanza, is currently in the North Sea campaigning for a network of marine reserves.

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.

At 9am Greenpeace activists in 3 rigid inflatable boats (RIBs) dropped buoys to prevent a Dutch beam trawler 'the Gorge Johannes Klazina' from setting its nets. Before taking action the activists had called on the trawler's captain to leave the Dogger Bank Marine Reserve.

Six other Dutch beam trawlers then joined the scene, surrounded one of the Greenpeace RIBs and threw missiles at the activists. One of the trawlers then approached the Greenpeace ship Esperanza and fishermen wearing ski masks shot three flares at the ship. One flare hit Esperanza's mast, but no one was injured.

Greenpeace ship the MV Esperanza, currently in the Dogger Bank area of the North Sea, was yesterday presented with a huge pile of discarded fish and other marine life by a Belgian fishing vessel.