Hey, hey! We have just returned from another marine survey, this time in the high seas of the North Pacific.
Aboard the Greenpeace ship rainbow warrior, We have concluded a five-week expedition documenting destructive fishing practices around the Emperor Seamount.. We also exposed working conditions on Taiwanese longline vessels, the most widely used fleet operating in these waters.
vast undersea mountain rangesThe Emperor Sea Mountain is surrounded by water columns, With tuna, blue whales, sperm whales, and humpback whales. On the sea floor below Various corals and spongesAnd various sea birds — ancient albatross — Fill the sky above.
“The Emperor Seamounts are a remarkable biological hotspot teeming with life,” explains Helena Pirhonen, head of fundraising for the Greenpeace International Oceans for Life campaign. “Unfortunately, this is why they are targeted by industrial fishing. We must protect it so that life there can be restored.”
This area is Prioritizing ocean protection According to the new World Ocean Treaty They are threatened by illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. To support our claim to protect it, We monitored and interacted with nine fishing vessels from a safe distance and recorded their arrangements.
A longline is a 100km long fishing line attached to a buoy that is towed behind a fishing boat. These longlines result in significant “bycatch,” with turtles, seabirds, and sharks trapped in their wake.
25 hours or more, We recorded 84 sharks being pulled from the sea This streak results in a rate of three sharks per hour. The sharks died or were subsequently killed regardless of their age or endangered status. As my colleague Vela Andapita explains, these catches are “more shark than tuna.”
In one haul we recorded, we saw countless (over 935) empty hooks, one juvenile tuna, and 16 sharks. These numbers reflect that despite what big companies may claim about the Pacific’s healthy tuna stocks, overfishing has emptied the oceans.
but Harmful fishing practices don’t just happen in the water. Fishermen aboard these vessels are often stranded at sea for months or years, working in difficult and sometimes harsh conditions and cut off from friends and family back home on land.
Over the past few years, we have been working with the Indonesian Migrant Workers’ Union (SBMI), which frequently receives complaints from migrant workers on Indonesian fishing boats. Investigate forced labor and illegal fishing practices on deep-sea fishing vessels.
So, with the captain’s permission, we boarded an inflatable dinghy and approached a Taiwanese longline boat. Packages of coffee, soap and Indonesian noodles were provided to the fishermen.And more. We also shared wifi. Rainbow Warior, so you can reach your loved ones at home. Once Wi-Fi was connected, almost all the fishermen picked up their phones and called home for the first time since they left land two or three months ago.
© Myrthe Verweij / Greenpeace. boarding crew rainbow warrior In the North Pacific, net banner readings are displayed. “Free WiFi”. Wi-Fi is provided to fishermen aboard longline fishing boats.
together Calls on governments to ratify the Global Oceans Treaty by 2025We will continue to work to protect these dispersals in particular. Defending the rights of sea fishermen. These destructive practices not only exploit marine ecosystems but also harm people.
If you would like to learn more about this study, please click this link.
