The bottom feeders have won

And it wasn't Canada that torpedoed negotiations on deep-seas bottom trawling at United Nations. It was Iceland.

The final agreement has more loopholes in it than a fisherman's sweater,” said Karen Sack, Greenpeace International Oceans Policy Advisor who has been monitoring the negotiations at the UN, "It does nothing to significantly change the way our oceans are managed."

They were getting close to an agreement that, in the absense of a complete moratorium, would protect vulnerable areas of the ocean, but Iceland refused to compromise. The document - with all its holes - will be passed by the UN in December.

This comes as bad news for Coral Clad, the Deep Seas Trawling Moratorium gang, fisheries scientists, moratorium-friendly countries and this typist who were all calling for a temporary ban on deep seas trawling until seabeds could be studied and plans made for protection.

Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific Island States, the United States, Brazil, India, South Africa, India, Chile, Germany, European Community (which includes Spain) and Canada supported strong action.

News and reaction is still coming in, but there is word of a new campaign to tighten market access to bottom-trawled fish. In addition, a global network of marine reserves has been established to monitor nations involved in high seas bottom trawl fishing.

It will be interesting to see how Canada, a nation that practices bottom-trawling, responds to the new campaigns to manage and protect ocean resources.