PRESS RELEASE
23.9.22
The European Union has agreed new measures to protect seamounts from bottom trawling, showing up the New Zealand government’s inaction on the issue, environment groups said today.
Meanwhile, a NIWA study released this week has revealed that there are 1,996 seamounts and features in New Zealand waters. A proposal is being pushed by industry that only recognises 7% of these seamounts, and would leave all the areas they currently trawl unprotected.
Groundbreaking agreement on ecosystem approach to fisheries & prohibition on keeping ‘bycatch’ of Greenland shark agreed by Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization. Full closure of vulnerable marine ecosystems to damage from trawling is still required.
Check out the top stories from the deep, taken from coverage between 12- 19 September 2022
For Immediate Release – 15.9.22
Today’s announcement by Virginijus Sinkevičius, the European Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries will close over 16,000 square kilometers of the deep sea to bottom fishing in EU waters of the Northeast Atlantic. This will bring much needed protection to deep-sea corals, sponges and other habitat forming species off the Atlantic coasts of Ireland, France, Spain and Portugal.
Continue reading EU protects 16,000 km2 of vulnerable deep-sea life
Check out the top stories from the deep, taken from coverage between 29 August – 5 September 2022
Continue reading Deep sea news (29 August – 5 September 2022)
Check out the top stories from the deep, taken from coverage between 8 – 14 August 2022
Six years after the adoption of the EU deep-sea fishing Regulation that prohibited bottom trawling below 800 meters in EU waters, the EU has finally adopted an ‘Implementing Act’ to begin closing coldwater coral and other biologically diverse deep-sea vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) below 400 meters depth to bottom fishing.
Civil society welcomes this long-awaited protection of VMEs. The adopted protective measures are, however, already under threat.
Continue reading Civil society urges immediate action to protect fragile deep sea ecosystems
DSCC Reaction
This week, the Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture voted on the European Commission’s proposal to close vulnerable areas to fishing gears which touch the seabed with the majority of EU member states adopted the implementing Act. EU member States had committed to do so in 2016, when adopting the Deep Sea Fisheries Regulation.
The DSCC warmly welcomes this vote and applauds the Commission for steering this process to successful conclusion.
We encourage the Commissioner Sinkevicius and DG Mare to ensure that the implementing act as adopted becomes law without any further delays. Deep sea vulnerable marine ecosystems can not wait any longer for sound protection.
Find out more here.
Press release
For immediate release 28 June 2022.
New government information about the deepwater fish orange roughy shows the fish may not reach full maturity until the age of 80, throwing the entire management of the fishery into doubt.
Orange roughy, a long-lived deepwater fish, grow and mature slowly, possibly too slowly to recover from the bottom trawl fishing industry that often specifically targets them when they come together to spawn around seamounts and features. They have recently been found to live to over 230 years old (which is why the industry calls these oldest fish “Napoleons”).
Continue reading New data shows orange roughy in deep trouble
Source: Herald
Author: Guy Rogers
Scientists are exploring deep sea refuges, southwest of Gqeberha in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province, and their importance to the said the site and its importance to the kingklip, a species of cusk eel that occurs along the South African Coast.
Marine biologist Prof Kerry Sink said that the kinglips unusual “drumming” method of communication underlined the need for progressive new thinking about underwater noise pollution from activities like offshore gas and petroleum seismic surveys.
Continue reading Protect kingdom of the kingklip, scientist urges
