More than 1,000 scientists are asking for a halt to moratorium on deep-sea bottom trawling. The scientists from around the world say it is destroying cold water corals.

Bottom trawling involves dragging heavy chains, nets and steel plates across the ocean floor.

The scientists released joint statement at a the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in the United States and at the United nations Convention on Biological Diversity in Kuala Lumpur.

Scientists have just begun to understand the importance of deep water coral reefs but "human activities, particularly bottom trawling, are causing unprecedented damage", the statement said.

"Even before scientists can find them, deep-sea coral and sponge ecosystems are being destroyed by commercial fishing, especially bottom trawling."

The scientists, described as the world's foremost biologists, say it is not too late to save most of the world's deep-sea coral and sponge ecosystems.

They urged the United Nations and appropriate international bodies to establish a moratorium on bottom trawling on the high seas.

"Similarly, we urge individual nations and states to ban bottom trawling to protect deep-sea ecosystems wherever coral forests and reefs are known to occur within their Exclusive Economic Zones."
disturbance," with some threatened with extinction.

Less than 300 vessels practice deep-sea bottom trawling. They are only a miniscule fraction of the world's fishing fleet, but their method "rapidly reduces ancient, thriving bottom complexes to rubble," the study says.

Fishing vessels flagged to only 13 countries, mainly from the developed world, took more than 95 percent of reported high seas bottom trawl catch in 2001, the last year for which data is available, the study shows.

I hope the U.S. isn't one of the nations doing this, but suspect they are!

We do just as much damage as the rest of them, if not worse. I know this for a fact. I opperated factory trawlers. The by catch is un real.

Dave you don't have to go far to witness dragging...tribes off Bainbridge do it...Check out Neah Bay..some big time draggers were there this past summer. I used to watch it being done all along the shores North of Kingston a few years ago...You bet we do it in the USA..in good old Washington state/

Another reason why I wish the nets had been banned.
I was really pushing everyone I knew on this one, but everywhere I went I got the same answer "The tribes will still be able to so whats the point?"
Narrow minded people drive me nuts. If we could have gotten rid of even a third of the bottom draggers it would have been a huge help. Better than what we got though.

Wow, there's a revelation! Can you say Puget Sound True Cod!!

Next time there's a ban the nets initiative, let's hope the public gets educated that the ban won't mean they can't eat at Anthony's and the like...Maybe a few commercials on TV showing how all the by-catch gets wasted would be a good idea. Also show the how studies support how commercial harvesting really inpacts the runs, especially the threatened ones. All it takes is us "sporties" to pull together and kick out the money to the right people.

1)-Contribute to the organized fishing groups that back the intiative

2)-Have all these big retail sports outlets kick in a chunk of their profits

3)- Get media backing

If someone could get a film of draggers or netters discarding all their bycatch it would ring a few bells.

I gotta fess up on this issue....and apologize. I was one who voted against the net ban, and my reasoning was exactly as described.... "if the Indians can net, how fair is banning just the white man's take?"

I regret that my vote worked against, rather than in favor of fish recovery. If the issue hits the ballots again, I'll vote to remove any nets I can. Sorry....was very stupid of me

5 acres, it's all in hindsight at this point.

I tried explaining it to people and they had tunnel vision so bad at wanting to shut the indians down thats all they cared about.

I asked them "Isn't half the damage better than all the damage we currently have"

Typical answer was "Need to get those #*$& Indian nets out of the @#$@ water!!!!"

Let's hope we can learn from hindsight and move on now.

I do some work with underwater cables and have seen videotapes of the seabed off the Oregon and Washington coasts where our draggers have done their work for decades, The sea floor looks like a pool table and drag marks on the bottom can easily be seen. I believe that the University of Oregon has file tape.

The trawl method everyone is in a fuss over is called using " roller gear " and " tickler chains " in front of deepwater trawls .. mid water trawlers have a limited bycatch compared to the vessels that drag their nets along the bottom and destroy everything in their paths ... I spent 15 years of my life on fishing vessels of various types.... all of them tenders, hook and line or trap boats. I have seen tons of chinook salmon thrown overboard in Alaska (near Ketchikan) due mainly to the indescriminate nature of seine nets in open water and the fact that Chinook could not be taken on that particular opener, but in three days it was "OK" to have a bycatch of Chinook during that period ( I have some pretty cool pictures of the bears that came to eat the salmon that we were not allowed to take to a cannery ). I do know hundreds of people that are or were involved in the trawl industy and I have heard so many horror stories of the captain targeting a particular area that might hold the boats quota of one sort of fish and having to pitch fork thousands of pounds of halibut and various other bottom fish overboard just to take their maximum quota of some other "trash" fish to the dock and get a paycheck. I do not believe that all nets should be banned, but what I do believe is that commercial trawlers should not be allowed to build boats or practice methods that are a detriment to the ecosystem . If they can't practice their trade in the places that produce less fish, but allow for a sustainable population then don't give them a second chance, revoke their permits and then cut their boats up for scrap .If you did that to one or two of the worst offenders the other folks would not be tempted to partake in such deeds......... It can be done and done in a fair manner , but if the laws dont have any teeth then the jackels will sneak in and take the spoils and throw the rest overboard .....Oh and by the way, if you don't already know this Tyson foods is one of the biggest offenders in this matter , they own a very large portion of the Quota's in Washington and Alaska and have the equipment and technology to take every last pound that they are allowed .... If you buy processed chicken or seafoood products there is a good chance that you are supporting this sort of enviromental destruction ....... "Chicken of the sea" takes on a whole new meaning once you have a different perspective.........just my opinion ...and some facts ...... Von Warner

bumpin the bottom