The European Union has one of the largest deep-sea fishing fleets in the world and some of the most impacted deep-sea stocks.
(c) Pasaules Dabas Fonds
Bottom trawlers drag huge, weighted nets along the deep seafloor, wiping out all in their path, including corals and sponges that have flourished for thousands of years. They are severely damaging vast expanses of an environment so fragile that it may never recover and they are doing so in pursuit of only a few fish species and for very little, if any, economic gain.
The EU has been negotiating a new deep-sea fishing regulation since 2012 and reform is urgent if we are to ensure sustainable deep-sea fishing and protect deep-sea ecosystems.
States must not continue to allow a deep-sea fishing regime that leaves the door open to continued destruction.
Latvia, which holds the rotating Presidency of the European Union for the first six months of 2015, is working with other European countries to reach an agreement. This would be a significant achievement for the conservation of the marine environment, and a lasting legacy for the Latvian Presidency.
To encourage the Latvian Presidency to move forward on this agreement, Sea Rose will be touring Riga over the next few days with Pasaules Dabas Fonds (WWF). Sea Rose, an iconic deep-sea fish, the roundnose grenadier, travelled round Italy during their presidency last year and is here to help show Latvian and other European ministers the importance of conserving the deep sea.
Follow the tour on twitter @PDF_Latvija and retweet your support.