We the undersigned, appeal to the European Commissioner for the Environment, Stavros Dimas,
Background (Preamble): Mr. Achim Steiner, former Director General
of the World Conservation Union (IUCN), current
UNEP Executive
Director, said "deep sea bottom trawling is an act of insanity and
should become subject to prosecution. We are just beginning to
scratch the surface in terms of our knowledge of open ocean
species and ecosystems at all depths, and realize the urgency of protecting them from degradation through over-harvesting and
destructive fishing practices such as deep sea bottom trawling.
We must protect the high seas before it's too late.
It most become priority for UNEP in 2006."
"Because of dwindling fish stocks, women no longer have sufficient
work and do not earn enough to pay for essentials for their families
like health, education and three basic meals a day.
Europe is playing a major role in this growing catastrophe, says Faty
Kane, campaigns officer at ActionAid Senegal in 2007.
We are now several years further and still either the
legislation or the enforcements are serious lacking
Still the destruction continued.
Petition:
Trawlers devastate life in oceans which build up for millennia in
minutes!
Seabeds gone empty: derived of grounds to flourish, to grow,
to multiply, to create oxygen.
Life started out in the oceans, we have no clue what we are
destroying.
What is gone will not be replaced in our lifetime,
in affect this means that sooner or later they'll have to stop anyway.
But rather now then when we passed the point of no return.
Trawlers rob native fishermen from their food, their income,
in affect stealing from the poor, causing them to rely on richer
nations to lend much needed assistence.
We don't need tons of food, many of us are willing to pay well for
seafood.
We don't need creatures perhaps of 150 years or older turned into cattlefood.
We don't want two-third of the catch being discarded and thrown overboard.
Many doubt global warming is caused by men but trawlers are without
any doubt means of destruction of oceans, of life, of cultures
and we can't let them continue with a clear mind.
We the undersigned demand the regulations needed to stop this vast destruction of our oceans.
Thanks for reading this and please accept this petition,