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Breaking News from America's Progressive Community... Latest
Releases
The press releases posted here have been provided to NewsCenter by the one of the many progressive organizations we have selected to participate. If you would like more information about this press release, you should contact the organization directly. |
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| JANUARY
22, 1999 8:00 AM FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Greenpeace Cristina Mormorunni, Greenpeace fisheries campaigner (on board the MV Arctic Sunrise) +872 130 2577 (sat phone - calls cost $10 per min.) Helene Bours, Greenpeace EU fisheries campaigner (Belgium), +32 844 77 177 Luisa Colasimone, Greenpeace Communications (The Netherlands), +31 20 52 49 546 or +31 6 53 66 29 70 |
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| Greenpeace Acts To Protect Antarctic waters While Ministers Talk | ||||
| AMSTERDAM
- January 22 - As ministers and officials from 24 nations prepare to gather in Antarctica,
Greenpeace has taken action to stop illegal or "pirate" fishing for
toothfish, one of the major threats to the pristine wilderness of Antarctica's
oceans. The international environmental group has sent the MV Arctic Sunrise to
the Southern Ocean to document and expose illegal fishing for toothfish (1).
"Illegal fishing fleets are destroying the Southern Ocean ecosystem," said Greenpeace campaigner Cristina Mormorunni on board the Arctic Sunrise. "The countries attending this Antarctic meeting represent 95% of the world's market in toothfish. Their governments must act immediately to stop the international trade in illegally caught fish. Greenpeace did not campaign to protect Antarctica so its surrounding ocean could be plundered by poachers." A gold rush has developed in the Southern Ocean for toothfish that is so valuable that the industry calls it "white gold". In some areas up to 90% of the total toothfish catch is taken by illegal and unregulated longliners. In 1997 the total illegal catch of toothfish was around 100,000 tons with a value of over US$500 million. This represents more than half of all toothfish sold to consumers around the world each year. The toothfish is an important part of the Southern Ocean's remote and fragile ecosystem. Its sudden demise could have serious implications for the biodiversity of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, which includes albatrosses, petrels, penguins, seals, elephant seals and whales. Scientists predict that, if illegal fishing continues at the present rate, the toothfish will be commercially extinct in less than three years. In addition to toothfish, the illegal fleets are incidentally killing up to 100,000 seabirds every year. Scientists also believe that some species of albatrosses and petrels which are hooked and drowned by this longline fishery will be seriously threatened with extinction. Commercial whaling also continues in the Southern Ocean, which was officially declared a whale sanctuary in 1994 by the International Whaling Commission (IWC). Despite the international status of the sanctuary, one country, Japan, ignores it and keeps hunting whales in the Southern Ocean waters for a bogus "scientific research" program which has been actively opposed by Greenpeace and condemned by the international community. Pirate fishing on the high seas is a growing problem worldwide (especially in the Southern Ocean, Mediterranean, South Atlantic, East and West coasts of Africa) particularly as the number and power of fishing vessels climbs far beyond what global fish stocks can sustain. There has been a significant increase in the fishing power of so-called "flag of convenience" states such as Panama, Honduras, Belize, Cyprus and Liberia which are routinely offering their flags to fishing vessels from other countries wishing to fish in violation of international laws (2). The 'Ministerial on Ice' meeting will be based at Scott Base and McMurdo Station from January 24 -28, 1999. ### (1) The toothfish grows slowly and to more than two metres long. It can live for 50 years and does not breed until it is at least 10 years old. It lives in deep waters (from 300 to 3,500 metres) and is found on seamounts and continental shelves around most sub-Antarctic islands. Like many deep-sea species, little is known about the toothfish. It is known that it is part of the sperm whale's diet and scientists estimate that it comprises up to 98% of the elephant seal's fish diet. In the market, the toothfish is known by many names including sea bass, Chilean sea bass, Chilean grouper and black hake. (2) Over the past several years, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has adopted a series of resolutions condemning pirate fishing. |
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