Environmentalists rally to ban bottom trawling in our oceans, with 50,000 signature petition

Wednesday, 18 November 2020

Representatives from seven environmental groups presented a petition to ban bottom trawling on a giant model of paragorgia (bubblegum) coral outside Parliament on Wednesday.

When heavy fishing nets drag across the ocean floor, ancient stalwarts of the sea are caught up, hauled onboard, and written off as by-catch.

Corals live for hundreds of years, and provide integral habitats, filter water, protect coastlines, and act as a food source.

An alliance of environmental groups is hoping 50,000 voices will be enough to bring about an end to bottom trawling in our oceans.

Seven conservation groups presented a petition of more than 50,000 signatures to Minister for Oceans and Fisheries David Parker, and Green MP Eugenie Sage, outside the beehive on Wednesday.

Green MP Eugenie Sage speaks to media outside Parliament, acknowledging the damage bottom trawling can do.

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Forest and Bird chief executive Kevin Hague said the change of government presented an opportunity for action, especially considering a new ministerial portfolio that married oceans and fisheries.

“But the real test of the Government’s intentions will come with how it deals with this issue, because we cannot have sustainable oceans if we have bottom trawling.”

Members of the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, Environment and Conservation Organisations, Forest and Bird, Greenpeace, LegaSea, Our Seas Our Future, and WWF New Zealand presented the list of names on a giant model of paragorgia (bubblegum) coral.

Minister for Oceans and Fisheries David Parker accepts the petition outside Parliament.

This ancient coral is the kauri of the oceans. It takes hundreds of years to grow, and are being wiped out by bottom trawl fishing, which involves dragging huge weighted nets over seamounts that are hotspots for ocean life.

Environment and Conservation Organisations co-chairperson Barry Weeber said while our fishing industry continued to bottom trawl sensitive areas, the rest of the world had mostly banned it.

“We need to catch up, and stop trashing the oceans to fill supermarket freezers.”

Greenpeace oceans campaigner Mandy Kupenga said it was clear allowing fishing fleets to self-regulate had not worked.

“Just last week, Talley’s was found guilty of illegally bottom trawling inside a marine reserve,” she said.

“They’ve failed to follow the rules too many times to ignore. The Government needs to step in and regulate in order to protect our marine environment for all New Zealanders.”

WWF-New Zealand chief executive Livia Esterhazy said although Aotearoa had the fourth largest exclusive economic zone in the world, we only fully protected 0.04 per cent of our oceans.

“Deep-sea corals are a protected species and our taonga, so we must do everything in our power to protect them.”

Green MP Eugenie Sage said it was clear bottom trawling caused major, long-term damage to the underwater environment, and the party would be working with Labour this term to better protect our oceans.