- Target:
- Stavros Dimas, European Commissioner for the Environment
- Region:
- GLOBAL
Mr. Steiner, former Director General of the World Conservation Union (IUCN), current Executive Director of UNEP, said "Deep sea bottom trawling is an act of insanity and should become subject to prosecution.
We are just beginning to scratch the surface in terms of our knowledge of open ocean species and ecosystems at all depths, and realize the urgency of protecting them from degradation through over-harvesting and destructive fishing practices such as deep sea bottom trawling. We must protect the high seas before it's too late. It must become priority for UNEP in 2006. "
“Because of dwindling fish stocks, women no longer have sufficient work and do not earn enough to pay for essentials for their families like health, education and three basic meals a day. Europe is playing a major role in this growing catastrophe,” says Faty Kane, campaigns officer at ActionAid Senegal in 2007.
Several years have passed and either the legislation or enforcements are lacking. Still the destruction went on.
Trawlers devastate life in oceans which build up for millennia in minutes! Sea-beds gone empty; derived of grounds to flourish, to grow, to multiply, to create oxygen.
Life started out in the oceans, we have no clue what we are destroying. What is gone will not be replaced in our lifetime, in affect this means that sooner or later they'll have to stop anyway. Rather now then when we passed the point of no return. Trawlers rob native fishermen from their food, their income, in affect stealing from the poor, causing them to rely more on richer nations to lend much needed assistance.
We don't need tons of food. We don't need creatures of 150 years or older turned into cattle-food. We want the numbers of by-catch reduced. We want huge commercial seafood trade diminished to responsible fishing techniques. Many doubt global warming is caused by mankind but trawlers are without any doubt means of destruction of oceans, of life, of cultures and we can't let them continue with a clear mind.
We suggest this: maximum size of nets and the abolishment of 'bottom ploughing gears' to save our oceans from overfishing and destruction. We the undersigned demand the regulations needed to stop this vast destruction of oceans. Thanks for reading this and please sign this petition.
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The Stop the Trawler petition to Stavros Dimas, European Commissioner for the Environment was written by Shaktiva and is in the category Environment at GoPetition.