Source: Scoop
A new mural in central Auckland is showcasing the wonders of the deep and highlighting the threat of destructive bottom trawling on seamounts.
The mural, a collaboration with artist Cinzah and the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, will be the first in the “Defend the Deep” series, which will appear throughout the country as pressure continues to mount to ban bottom trawling on seamounts.
New Zealand is currently taking part in a South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO) meeting this week and continually argues against measures to protect seamounts.
“All six New Zealand vessels authorised by the New Zealand government to trawl on seamounts in the South Pacific belong to companies with recent convictions for illegal trawling in closed areas.
Their fishing permits expire in April, and there is no reason to delay action until 2023. Fisheries Minister David Parker could end the destruction and protect these precious deep-sea ecosystems with the stroke of a pen, by simply refusing to re-issue high seas permits to a handful of trawlers owned by companies that have shown they can’t be trusted.
Karli Thomas, Deep Sea Conservation Coalition
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