Download document

Defending our oceans
"Greenpeace is committed to defending the health of the world's oceans
and the plants, animals and people that depend upon them."
The Azores and protecting the treasures
of the deep seas
DEPARTAMENTO
DE OCEANOGRAFIA
E PESCAS
UNIVERSIDADE DOS AÇORES
© Alberto Lindner/NOAA/NMFS
Deep beneath the oceans, massive mountains, ridges and plateaus rise
from the seafloor, stretching up but never quite reaching the surface.
The Earth's longest mountain range is not on land but under the sea the Mid Oceanic ridge system, which winds around the globe through
every ocean. It is four times longer than the Andes, Rockies and
Himalayas combined! The biggest of these underwater mountains are
called 'seamounts', rising more than 1,000 metres from the sea floor.
Part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the Azores are a group of nine islands located in the
North Atlantic approximately 1,200km west of Portugal and scattered over an area of
approximately 1,000 sq km. Azorean waters are dotted with seamounts and the
islands are themselves were once seamounts, but have broken through the Atlantic
waves.
.
Seamounts are often described as the oases of the oceans. Their ancient rocky sides
are home to centuries old corals and seafans which catch valuable food as it wafts by
on the swirling currents that flow over their slopes and summits. These food-rich
waters also sustain large populations of deep sea fish and squid. These same currents
draw vital food up from the deep, dark depths of the ocean floor towards the sunlight
waters above. This in turn stimulates plankton growth which attracts fish, birds and
marine mammals to feed. Tunas use seamounts as waypoints and refueling stations in
their transoceanic crossings
Scientists estimate that there are between 30,000 and 100,000 seamounts scattered
throughout the oceans, though less than 1% have been properly explored and
documented. New discoveries have turned on its head the long held idea that the deep
sea supports only a few species and that they are very widespread. Sampling of
seamounts in the southwestern Pacific showed that a quarter to a third of species were
unique to closely spaced mountain ranges.
© Image courtesy of NOAA
© Image courtesy of NOAA
Sadly these diverse and extraordinary ecosystems are being destroyed by bottom
trawling - one of the most destructive fishing practices in the world - even before
scientists have had a chance to assess what may be there. Bottom trawling for deep
sea species such as orange roughy, roundnose grenadier, redfish and blue ling is not
only wiping out populations of these vulnerable species but is also causing massive
collateral damage to deep sea habitats. Bottom trawl nets can be enormous, the
biggest having mouths which may measure over 100m across, and are weighted along
the bottom with heavy steel rollers. These nets are hauled across the seabed sweeping
up all the fish in their path while at the same time smashing ancient corals, ripping up
sponges and destroying the other marine life which make up these fragile deep sea
communities.
Traditionally Azorean fishermen have fished the waters around the islands using small
vessels and lines with hooks designed to avoid accidental catch such as turtles.
However, in November 2003 the EU Council of Fisheries Ministers agreed to open up
Azorean waters to EU fishing fleets including bottom trawlers, despite opposition from
the Azorean Government and others. After two years of protest the EU Council agreed
to a ban on bottom trawling in December 2005. The relevant regulations also cover
the waters around Madeira and the Canaries and include an additional prohibition on
using gillnets and other entangling fishing nets at depths greater than 200m.
Sadly while Azorean waters are now protected from high seas bottom trawling other
seamount and deep sea ecosystems around the world are not. Urgent action is needed
and almost 1500 eminent marine scientists from 69 countries have signed a statement
calling for a moratorium on trawling in international waters. A broad coalition of
groups is now campaigning for a UN General Assembly Resolution to impose an
immediate moratorium on highs seas bottom trawling. Such a moratorium is necessary
to give “time out” to find out what is really down there and determine what is needed
to maintain the health of our oceans. Only then will it be possible to draw up legally
binding international regulations that ensure these deep sea ecosystems are given
adequate protection.
The moratorium would be a step towards one of the key solutions to the range of
threats our oceans are facing. A properly enforced global network of marine reserves,
covering 40% of the world's oceans, is vital for the recovery of our oceans. The call is
backed up by a recent report by marine scientist, Professor Callum Roberts of York
University, which outlines a roadmap for recovery for the oceans. The team at York
University has plotted a network of high seas marine reserves which covers areas
teeming with marine life as well as those that are vulnerable to destructive practises
such as mining or fishing. One of the sites identified by Roberts is the high seas area
west of the Azores.
oceans.greenpeace.org
© Greenpeace/Westerkov
© Greenpeace/Gavin Grace
© NIWA 2005
© Greenpeace/Kate Davison
Greenpeace is an independent, campaigning organisation, which uses non-violent, creative confrontation to
expose global environmental problems, and to force solutions essential to a green and peaceful future
Greenpeace International
Design: www.nicolepostdesign.nl
Ottho Heldringstraat 5, 1066 AZ Amsterdam, Netherlands T+31 20 514 8150 F+31 20 514 8156 www.greenpeace.org
DEPARTAMENTO
DE OCEANOGRAFIA
E PESCAS
UNIVERSIDADE DOS AÇORES