1500 scientists recently warned that human activity, such as destructive fishing is causing the volume of catches to plummet. If we do not change course radically we can expect to see a worldwide collapse of all commercially caught types of sea fish, shellfish and molluscs by around 2048.
These 1500 scientists from all over the world have signed a petition in which they demand a moratorium on deep sea bottom trawling. In other words they demand that it be forbidden to carry out deep sea fishing with trawl nets. The fishing ban should remain in force at least until more research has been carried out into the deep sea ecosystems and until it is clear how fishing in these vulnerable areas can be managed: if fishing should take place there at all. The moratorium should apply to a surface area of 67 million m²:which is bigger than all the continents put together. The result must outweigh the interests of a handful of heavily subsidised fishing ships looking for fish and fish oil.
It is now up to the delegations to take a decision that unites everything the United Nations stands for: guaranteeing a fair and safe future for our planet.
