Down with the bottom feeders XI

Here are pictures of beautiful Lophelia corals found living on the ocean floor off the east coast of Canada. When the discovery was made by the Centre for Marine Biodiversity, these areas were surrounded by fencing and made off limits to Canadian bottom trawling fleets. Scientists were hoping the United Nations would declare a temporary moratorium on bottom trawling in international waters so that scientists could protect ecologically fragile parts of the ocean floor.
Sadly, this effort failed, and Canada sided with nations such as Spain, opposing the temporary moratorium. Click here for pictures of other corals damaged by bottom trawling.

These pictures were provided to the Gifted Typist by Dr. Ellen Kenchington, research scientist with the Canadian Department of Fisheries, Ecosystem Research Division. Thank you Ellen.

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.

Risley's believe it or not II

For the benefit of Clearwater Seafoods chairman John Risley who last week stated that "there is zero scientific evidence, not one shred of scientific evidence, that these [bottom trawling] fisheries do any damage to the bottom environment whatsoever," this typist has trawled for some photographic evidence showing that bottom trawling does damage the bottom environment.

The Norwegian Institute for Marine Research surveyed coral reefs on the Norwegian Continental Shelf which has been bottom trawled since the 30s.

Researchers found dead coral fragments, broken corals in living colonies and trawler scars running through coral beds, all evidence of bottom trawling. They concluded that between 30 and 50 % of coral reefs in Norway were damaged. This institute advises the Nowwegian government which has declared its support for the moratorium on bottom trawling being discussed this week at the United Nations. Canada has refused to support the moratorium.

The photograph above shows dead Lophelia and gorgonians in an area which had been bottom trawled.

Crushed remains of Lophelia skeletons are spread across a barren seabed which has been bottom trawled. A scar stretches across the photograph, the path of a trawl.

Here is a green boot among corals, 7 April 1999.

Remains of fishing gear among broken corals.

Risley's believe it or not!

This is the response of Chronicle-Herald cartoonist Bruce MacKinnon to the ludicrous comment by John Risley of Clearwater Seafoods that "there is zero scientific evidence, not one shred of scientific evidence, that these fisheries do any damage to the bottom environment whatsoever."

He was referring to the campaign for a temporary moratorium on bottom trawling in international waters.

Mr. Risley's comment is patently wrong but it is instructive in that it provides a blunt articulation of the naked vested interests at play in the debate surrounding deep-seas bottom trawling.

Mr. Risley is chairman of Clearwater Seafoods, a company that uses 19 trawlers to harvest seafood in Canadian waters.

If Mr. Risley took a moment to Google for peer-reviewed scientific studies on deep-seas trawling and its impact on marine ecosystems, he would find a litany.

But this isn't the point of his comments. Mr. Risley has spoken out to grab headlines. He knows that a moratorium on bottom trawling in international waters will put pressure on his company to stop the practice in Canadian waters. Sadly for Mr. Risley, his remarks are so off base that he has discredited himself, Clearwater and fisheries companies that use bottom trawling.

He has also discredited the Canadian government which is refusing to support the proposed UN moratorium on deep-seas trawling. Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn says it would be too difficult to police international waters. Hmmm, this sounds like another of Mr. Risley's comments: "What is the good of adding more laws when the problem is that people are paying no attention to the existing laws?"

Could Mr. Risley's ludicrous comments be a blunt articulation of the Canadian government's position on this issue?

Down with the bottom feeders IX

If a rogue combine harvester were raking the ecosystems of the Rocky Mountains, killing all plants and animals in its path, do you think the government of Canada could call for a stop to this distructive practice?

You bet they would.

But when underwater mountains are raked by a marine harvesting activity that kills plants and animals in its path, the government of Canada refuses to call for a stop to this destructive practice.

This week, yet another study is highlighting the irreparable damage that bottom trawling is doing to marine life and habitats in international waters.

"There is an urgency, first of all, to deal with regulating those fisheries and secondly to get out there and look at those habitats before they are gone," said Dr Alex Rogers, of the Zoological Society of London and a co-author of the report. "Fish hundreds of years old are being decimated as a result of this trawling."

Last week, marine scientists and environmentalists travelled to Ottawa to plead with the Fisheries Minister to change his stance. But Loyola Hearn stood firm on his decision against a moratorium on deep seas bottom trawling.

He justifies his decision by saying it's too hard to regulate activities in international waters.

Yes, Minister Hearn, it is hard. And so is fighting AIDS in Africa and terrorists overseas. It is very hard, but that does not give you licence to ignore the research, expertise and advice of marine scientists - in Canada and around the world - who are warning of the great destruction bottom-trawling is wreaking on marine life and habitats?

Fish live and survive in these marine habitats, Minister Hearn, fish that you eat. If those habitats are destroyed, the fish will die and no one will eat them. This is what the scientists are telling you.

You are pitting Canada against the US, Britain, Norway, France, Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific nations and Brazil who have all said they will support of the United Nations moratorium in December.

Minister Hearn, your government is swimming against an international tide favouring preservation of the environment. And your government is failing to recognize that Canadians - despite your government's positions on the environment - still regard themselves as an environmentally responsible people.

Have courage, Minister Hearn. Vote in favour of the moratorium on bottom trawling. You'll never regret it.

Down with Bottom Feeders VIII

According to the Toronto Globe and Mail, Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn prefaced a statement on global warming and the impact it is having on marine life by saying that he is no scientist.

Well, Minister Hearn, you said it!

You are not a scientist. You are a politician and as such you have a responsibility to listen to scientists when they inform you that trawling the high seas is going to devastate marine life.

In a scrum with Canadian journalists on Friday, non-scientist Hearn defended his refusal to support a ban on deep seas trawling. "It's on the high seas, which means it's completely unregulated and unenforcable so it means practically nothing."

But a real scientist has challenged the non-scientist. Dalhousie professor Boris Worm said the UN banned drift nets in 1992 and that this ban has been respected. Dr. Worm is the author of a widely-published report linking global warming to a collapse of fish stocks.

While non-scientist Hearn reluctantly acknowledged the link between global warming and the depletion of fish stocks, he is sticking firmly to his decision not to support the moratorium. This decision puts non-scientist Hearn opposite the US, UK, France, Norway, Australia, Brazil, Pacific Island Nations, India, South Africa, New Zealand and The Gifted Typist who all support the moratorium.

Earlier in the week protests were held all over the world to raise support for the ban. In New Zealand, "Sea Mounties" (Greenpeace activists dressed as Canadian Mounties) protested outside the Canadian embassy in Wellington with a banner saying "Shame on Canada - Stop deep-sea destruction".

This typist hopes that non-scientist Hearn either starts listening to real scientists or signs up for Marine Biology 101 so he can inform his decisions with better information.

There is a petition that you can sign to show your support for a moratorium on deep seas trawling.

Down with the bottom feeders VII

Sadly, this typist was busy typing yesterday and was unable to join Coral Clad and her Deep Seas Trawling Moratorium friends for their protest against the Canadian government's refusal to support a moratorium.

Word has that they took to the streets with their placards and eminently reasonable arguments against hoovering the seabed of its life and vitality.

They are trying to get the ear of Canadian Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn who has closed his ears to their arguments. He has said Canada will not support a proposed international moratorium on the trawling of the high seas. In so doing, he has parted ways with Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Norway, the United States, The Gifted Typist and influential central Canadian blog Reject the Koolaid who have all come out in support of the ban.

Coral Clad and her friends fear that sea habitats and marine life are being destroyed by bottom trawling. They want Canada to support a United Nations vote for a moratorium in December.

Even fishermen are in favour of a moratorium. In the Chronicle-Herald, Wayne Eddie is quoted as saying that to get 100,000 pounds of fish by trawling, a fisherman must throw 750,000 pounds of unwanted species and refuse overboard. "I’ve seen them floating on the water for miles."

Time is running out. The Gifted Typist encourages other typists to email Loyola Hearn to protest his decision against the moratorium.

Down with bottom feeders VI

This just in. The influential Central Canadian blog Reject the Koolaid has announced that it is throwing its muscle behind the moratorium on deep seas trawling.

RTK, long known for its work on softwood lumber and escalator croc attacks, has joined the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Brazil and The Gifted Typist in supporting the campaign to stop bottom trawling in international waters. The practice is a home wrecker for fish habitats and corals on the ocean floor.

The Gifted Typist is thrilled to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with RTK, Coral Clad, marine scientists and responsible nations on this issue. Conservative Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn has said he will not support the morratorium which will be put to to a vote at the United Nations in December.

Down with bottom feeders V

Who says that the good people of central Canada aren't concerned about the oceans and the issue of high seas trawling?

The Gifted Typist's campaign to for a moratorium on this distructive practice has brought interest from friends at Reject the Koolaid. Based in Quebec and Ontario, this group of commentators has long advocated on the softwood lumber issue.

Now the fine folks at RTK are directing traffic to Gifted Typist posts on deep seas trawling.

The Canadian Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn has said he will not support a moratorium on deep seas trawling when the United Nations votes on the issue in December. In doing so the minister is parting ways with US, Australia, the UK, New Zealand, Norway, Brazil and The Gifted Typist who have all called for the moratorium.

This typist, Coral Clad and all the folks at the deepseas.blogspot.com thank RTK for their attention to this cause and hope for their official declaration of support.

Visit RTK now, and make a pitch for their support.

Down with the bottom feeders IV

Where's Loyola?

Last Friday, the Canadian Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn announced that Canada would not support an international moratorium on the destructive practice of trawling the ocean floor.

But rather than standing before the cameras, microphones and notepads of the news media to deliver his message, the minister issued a statement. Minister Hearn was not available for interviews because the statement was issued on the Friday afternoon before the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend when most people are enjoying the harvest and not following the news.

The following week when the CBC radio news program The Current covered the issue, the minister was again unavailable for interview.

This typist has yet to see or hear Minister Hearn put his face or voice to reporters' questions on this issue. Does the minister realize that this sends out a mixed signal.

If he stands firmly behind his decision not to support the moratorium - against the stand taken by the US, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Norway and Brazil who are supporting the morartorium - then why won't he come forward and talk to us?

A cynic might say that Minister Hearn's media managers have advised him against appearing on camera or on live radio to say he is against an international moratorium on high seas trawling. A cynic might say that this would look bad on Minister Hearn who is a member of a minority government that could fall at any time.

So come on Loyola, show your face on this one, talk to us, prove the cynics wrong.

Down with bottom feeders III

This typist was very disappointed to learn that Canada's minority Conservative government has refused to support a moratorium on deep seas bottom trawling.

Just days after President George Bush threw his muscle behind this cause, Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn announced that Canada would not stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the US, Australia, the UK, New Zealand, Norway, Brazil and The Gifted Typist who have all called for the moratorium.

Bottom trawling, a fisheries practice which has been compared to forestry clear cutting, is endangering fish and coral habitats of the world's oceans, according to scientists who study the oceans.

This typist can't help but notice how this case brings together the two similar words of "conservation" and "Conservative" and the irony of how polar opposite the two definitions are in matters which concern the environment.

Coral Clad and her friends in the High Seas Trawling Moratorium group are gutted by this decision but still hopeful that the United Nations will vote in favour of the moratorium in December.

Perhaps Fisheries Minister Hearn would like to hear what people think. After all, he is still a member in a minority government which could fall at any time.

Down with bottom feeders II

There have been some exciting developments in the global campaign for a moratorium on high seas trawling.

You may recall this typist's roadside encounter with the lovely Coral Clad who raised my consciousness on this matter with a wave of her placard in early September.

Well, we now hear that US President George Bush has got the message and is calling for an end destructive fishing practices, such as unregulated bottom trawling on the high seas.

The president has pledged to work with other countries and international organizations to "eliminate unregulated destructive fishing practices that jeopardize fish stocks and the habitats that support them." He called for the enhancement of sustainable fishing practices and and end to destructive fishing practices, such as unregulated bottom trawling.

And last week New Zealand announced that it would work with Australia to seek the support of other nations for an immediate moratorium on high seas bottom trawling.

This will come as very good news to my friends at the High Seas Moratorium Now campagin. With the help of people like Coral Clad, they have been been posting pictures of people, famous and not so famous, to their website. All are calling for an end to the trawling of the ocean floor.

While heartened by this international support, Coral Clad and her High Seas Moratorium friends are anxious for Canada to join New Zealand, Australia and the United State in their call for a ban on high seas trawling.

Contact Canada's Fisheries minister Loyola Hearn to discover if Canada will support the ban on high seas trawling.

Down with the bottom feeders

It's not every day that a Gifted Typist encounters a piece of human coral on the side of a busy city street, but this is exactly what occurred today as I idled in traffic waiting for a red light to go green.
The roadside coral-clad woman was holding up a sign for all to see. It said: deepseas.blogspot.com.

Being a Gifted Typist of curious temperament, I shouted through my downturned window: "Hey Lady, what's this?" And Coral Clad replied that it's a campaign to raise awareness around the destruction wrought by high-seas bottom trawling.

The fisheries practice of high-seas bottom trawling or dragging is, I gather, destroying fish populations, damaging marine habitats and threatening marine biodiversity in international waters.

So concerned is Coral Clad and her deepseas.blogspot.com friends that they are trying to get everyone to support a moratorium on high seas bottom trawling.

In November the United Nations General Assembly will consider a resolution asking for an interim prohibition on bottom trawling. Canada's Minister of Fisheries Loyola Hearn has not yet decided whether Canada will support the proposed moratorium, but other countries such as the UK, France, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Brazil and Chili have come out in support.

I asked Coral Clad if there was anything a Gifted Typist could do to support this campaign and she said, yes, you can type.

And so I type in support of the moratorium on high-seas bottom trawling. The typists at deepseas.blogspot.com kindly gave me permission to use Coral Clad's picture which I found posted on their website.