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April 2008 - International — The Mediterranean
Sea is a global treasure. Rich seagrass
meadows and rocky reefs dominate its coastal
zone while an awe-inspiring array of underwater
mountains (seamounts), cold seeps and trenches
are found on its seabed.
The Mediterranean represents less than 1
percent of the world's oceans yet contains
some 10,000 species - that's around 9 percent
of the world's marine biodiversity.
But over-fishing and destructive fishing,
including continued illegal use of driftnets,
pollution, and rampant coastal development
are steadily eroding this treasure.
"Defending our Mediterranean"
Greenpeace, for the
third year in a row, is tackling these threats
head-on. With our ship the Arctic Sunrise
we are conducting a 3 month "Defending
our Mediterranean" tour. The expedition
will travel across the Mediterranean region
exposing and taking action on destructive
activities, documenting areas in need of
protection, and calling for solutions.
The expedition is part
of our call for a network of marine reserves
across the Mediterranean, in both international
waters and in coastal regions. Marine reserves
- national parks at sea - are areas where
no destructive activities are allowed, they
provide a sanctuary for marine life.
The message is simple.
"If we want fish tomorrow; we need
marine reserves today".
Threats facing the Mediterranean Sea
Bluefin tuna is on the brink of collapse
The majestic bluefin tuna is famous as a
symbol of the Mediterranean. This incredible
fish can accelerate faster than a Porsche
and can swim as fast as 43 miles (almost
70 kilometres) per hour. It is one of the
top predators of the Mediterranean food-chain;
crucial to the delicate ecosystem.
But Mediterranean bluefin
are in serious trouble - "time and
tuna are running out." In 1999, we
recorded how Mediterranean bluefin stocks
had declined by 80 percent, and it's getting
worse. Rampant over-fishing and pirate fishing
are pushing this precious species to the
brink of extinction.
The bluefin tuna fishery
in the Mediterranean is out of control,
and must be closed immediately to allow
the population to recover. Proper management
must be put in place, including marine reserves
to protect tuna breeding areas, if the fishery
is ever to become sustainable again.
Driftnets - "walls
of death"
Driftnets, known as "walls of death"
are primarily used to catch dwindling stocks
of swordfish, but are also responsible for
regularly trapping and killing whales, dolphins
and turtles that happen to cross their path.
Driftnets have been
banned for years by the United Nations,
the European Union, the International Commission
for Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT)
and the General Fisheries Commission for
the Mediterranean, (GFCM). In other words,
they are most definitely illegal.
Despite millions of
euros being spent on decommissioning driftnets,
they are still widely used in the Mediterranean.
Hundreds of thousands of kilometres of these
illegal nets are loose in the waters, indiscriminately
killing marine life. In 2006, Greenpeace
confronted and confiscated driftnets from
Italian vessels, including one that had
received €28,000 in grants to change its
fishing gear.
Coastal development
Seagrass beds are common to shallow seas
around much of the Mediterranean. They are
important nursery areas, and help protect
the seabed. They provide a special habitat
for small animals and plants. But rampant
development of coastlines for hotels, holiday
homes, marinas and ports is destroying seagrass
beds. In the worst areas they have disappeared
altogether; leading to serious loss of biodiversity
and habitat.
Between 2005 and 2006
Greenpeace Spain recorded that some 1.5
million dwellings and 293 golf courses had
been built along 8000 kilometres of Spanish
coastline. 116 leisure ports were either
constructed or added to; 102 cases of urban
development corruption were uncovered. The
unplanned and reckless nature of this urban
development along the coastline is causing
severe erosion and pollution.
Pollution
Thousands of tonnes of toxic waste are pumped
directly into the Mediterranean Sea every
year. Shipping, urban and agricultural pollution
and tourism are aggravating the crisis.
Mercury, cadmium, zinc and lead in sediments
are found at "hot-spots", all
too often located in coastal zones exposed
to pollution. These substances can travel
thousands of kilometres, posing irreversible
risks to human health and marine life across
the region.
Approximately one third
of the world's total merchant shipping crosses
the Mediterranean each year. Some 370 million
tonnes of oil are transported annually across
this busy Sea- that's more than 20% of the
world total.On average 10 oil spills a year
happen in the Mediterranean.
Expedition is calling for Marine Reserves
"Defending our
Mediterranean" will confront these
threats, and more. We are calling for a
network of marine reserves to cover forty
percent of the Sea. Large scale reserves
to protect international waters, and a network
of smaller reserves to protect coastal areas
and allow fishing grounds to recover and
flourish again. A network of marine reserves
for the Mediterranean Sea will represent
a shift in the balance of human impacts,
from damage and harm to protection and conservation.
The demand for
marine reserves in the Mediterranean is
part of Greenpeace's call for a global network
of properly enforced marine reserves to
cover forty percent of the world's oceans.
The Greenpeace ship, the Esperanza is currently
in the Pacific confronting overfishing and
calling for the creation of marine reserves
in the Pacific Commons.
