The oceans are on a “death spiral” from climate change and destructive fishing, with world leaders doing little to stop it, an environmental lobby group has warned.
Greenpeace says the water chemistry is now being altered rapidly by greenhouse gas emissions, as superchaulers plunder the sea in an unsustainable harvest.
Starting on World Oceans Day, Tuesday, June 8, he will embark on a six-month mission to patrol the UK’s south coast, monitoring allegedly protected areas for harmful fishing practices.
Activists called on world leaders to make the sea a priority in G7 talks
Will McCallum, Oceans Officer at Greenpeace UK, told Sky News: “Right now the UK government is standing on the world stage and claiming to be a leader in protecting the oceans because it owns these marine areas. protected surrounding its coastline.
“But inside these protected areas, you are allowed to do just about anything you want.”
Operation Ocean Witness will follow the factory trawlers with kilometer-long nets that collect everything in their path.
And he will look for evidence that boats drag heavy fishing gear along the seabed, tearing up fragile nurseries for marine life.
Conservation group Oceana used satellite tracking data to calculate that boats spent 68,000 hours ‘bottom trawling’ in UK marine protected areas in 2020. That’s a 10% increase from compared to the previous year.
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The practice is legal, although conservation areas are designed to protect seabed habitats such as reefs and corals.
“Our oceans are on a death spiral: battered by climate degradation and destructive fishing,” said Mr McCallum.
“World leaders continue to drag their feet as if …
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Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2021-06-07 17:39:00
