New Zealand bottom trawlers engage in “most destructive fishing” in Australia
Australian conservationists are calling the New Zealand bottom trawl fleet for exploiting the “The most destructive fishery” in the country, because New Zealand vessels are currently fishing orange roughy off the coast of Tasmania.
Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) called for change as New Zealand trawlers continue to dump deep-sea corals on seamounts.
When seamount habitats are bottom trawled, they suffer serious and lasting damage. Images collected from the Tasman showed corals were damaged on nearly all of the seamounts that were bottom trawled for orange roughy.
Jessica Desmond, ocean activist at Greenpeace Aotearoa, said Australians have every right to be outraged by this looting by New Zealand commercial fishing companies.
“It’s not a good look for New Zealand,” she said.
“Companies like Talley are sending their bottom trawlers across the Tasman and causing more destruction than any other fishing operation in Australia. It is shameful.
“Australians are outraged that this is happening off their shores, and many New Zealanders feel the same way. More than 50,000 called for an end to this form of seamount fishing, and demands that the New Zealand government stop this destruction.
“The habitats found on seamounts are the foundation of a healthy ocean, we should do all we can to protect them.
“As New Zealanders we like to think of ourselves as environmentally conscious, and I think many of us find it quite devastating to think that in this case we are the bad guys.
“Companies like Talley’s are launching a wave of ocean destruction on our behalf, and we need the government to step in and stop it.”
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Greenpeace exists because this fragile land deserves a voice.
Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning organization working to change attitudes and behavior, protect and conserve the environment, and promote peace.
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