Publications

Why the World Needs a Time Out on High Seas Bottom Trawling

Fishing on the high seas far from land is dangerous and expensive, and it consumes large amounts of fossil fuel. Fishermen would be unlikely to venture out on the high seas if fish were still abundant in more productive nearshore waters. High-seas bottom trawling is a relatively new industry, having begun in the 1950s when an increasing number of nations over-fished their coastal fisheries. They built larger and more powerful vessels and developed fishing gears that were more robust, such as rockhopper trawls, huge nets and stronger cables. Governments further fueled this move with grants and subsidies.

Available in English and Spanish.

Deep-Sea Fishing, High Seas

English, Spanish

1st June 2005

A Moratorium Is Fundamental

The deep sea is one of the last frontiers on the planet – the home to breathtaking landscapes of mountains, hills, ridges and troughs that very few of us will ever see. Until approximately 30 years ago, it was assumed that there was little life in the cold and dark waters of the deep sea, which covers more than half the world’s surface. The advent of manned and unmanned submersible technology, however, has turned that belief on its head. The world deep beneath the oceans’ surface is far more diverse than had ever been imagined.

Available in English, French, German, Spanish.

Deep-Sea Fishing, New Zealand

English, French, German, Spanish

1st April 2005

Making A Moratorium Work

To protect deep-sea biodiversity on the high seas from continued indiscriminate destruction the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition is calling on the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to adopt an immediate moratorium on deep-sea bottom trawl fishing on the high seas until legally-binding regimes for the effective conservation and management of fisheries and the protection of biodiversity on the high seas can be developed, implemented and enforced by the global community.

Available in: English, French, German, Spanish.

Deep-Sea Fishing, High Seas

English, French, German, Spanish

1st April 2005

Medicines From the Deep: The Importance of Protecting the High Seas from Bottom Trawling

Medicines From the Deep: The Importance of Protecting the High Seas from Bottom Trawling, March 2005. Medical research suggests that novel compounds from the deep sea hold tremendous promise for treating human disease, highlighting the need to protect the fragile deep ocean bottom from destructive fishing practices like bottom trawling. Report produced by MCBI, in collaboration with the Natural Resources Defense Council. Principal author: Sara Maxwell.

Deep-Sea Fishing, High Seas

English

1st March 2005

Cold-Water Corals – Fragile Havens In The Deep

Source: WWF

Deep in the cold, dark ocean, impressive coral reefs and thickets meander along the edges of continental slopes and seamounts. Vibrantly coloured and delicately branched corals, sponges and hydroids weave intricate structures providing living space for a multitudeof invertebrates – such as lobsters, crabs, shrimps, sea fans, worms and starfish – as well as for many commercially important fish species.

Available in English.

 

Deep-Sea Fishing, High Seas

English

1st December 2004

Cold-water Coral Reefs: Out of Sight, No longer out of mind

Source: UNEP

This report presents comprehensive and up-to-date information and data on marine cold water coral reefs from around the world. Cold Water Coral Reefs: Out of Sight – No Longer Out of Mind aims to provide policy makers with the information required to take concerted action in the conservation, protection and sustainable management of these beautiful, largely unexplored and fragile coral reefs.

Available in English.

 

Deep-Sea Fishing, High Seas, Policy

English

1st December 2004

High Seas Bottom Trawl Fisheries and their Impacts on the Biodiversity of Vulnerable Deep-Sea Ecosystems: Options for International Action

The deep ocean is increasingly recognized as a major global reservoir of the Earth’s biodiversity, comparable to the biodiversity associated with tropical rainforests and shallow-water coral reefs. Though only a small fraction of the oceans’ ecosystems found at depths below 200 meters have been studied, research has revealed remarkably high levels of biodiversity and endemism. Estimates of the numbers of species inhabiting the deep ocean range between 500,000 and 100 million.

Available in English.

Deep-Sea Fishing, High Seas

English

1st November 2004