GREENPEACE CONFRONTS BANISHED NORWEGIAN FACTORY TRAWLER

SEATTLE, WA, JANUARY 2nd 1997

Greenpeace activists in inflatable zodiac boats today confronted the world's newest factory trawler, the American Monarch. The activists attached a 30foot banner "AMERICAN MONARCH: FACTORY TRAWLER, OVERFISHING PERMIT DENIED, BANNED IN CHILE, BAN IT HERE" to the side of the ship at Pier 90/91 in Seattle.

The American Monarch, built in Norway, is owned by Resource Group International (Aker/RGI), a parent company of American Seafoods. This factory trawler can catch and process 1.3 million pounds of fish each day, more than any other vessel fishing today.

"The American Monarch was built for state-of-the-art destruction of ocean ecosystems and fishing communities," said Dave Batker of Greenpeace. "The U.S. should join the ranks of countries which have so far denied fishing access to this ship."

Construction of the American Monarch was completed in October. Protests by Chilean fishermen and Greenpeace activists in Norway and Chile resulted in that Government's rejection of a fishing permit for the American Monarch in November. Greenpeace and the fishermen argued that the American Monarch could not only devastate the fishstocks, but the fishing communities which depend on them.

The Falkland (Malvinas) Islands also banned the American Monarch from fishing its waters. egotiations to allow the vessel to fish off the coast of Peru also failed.

In December, the American Monarch sailed for Seattle. American Seafoods currently has eleven factory trawlers fishing IN the U.S., all of which are fishing off Alaska in the Bering Sea. Nearly 60 factory trawlers fish in U.S. waters today.

Factory trawlers, precursers to the American Monarch fished the New England fishstocks to the verge of commercial extinction in the 1960's and 70's. They were kicked out of the New England fishing grounds after the passage of the Magnuson Act in 1976.

Today in the North Pacific, signs of ecosystem stress are being manifested by the decline of top predators such as the steller sea lion. Stellers compete for the same fish species targeted by the factory trawler fleets. The status of the steller sea lion is about to be changed from threatened to "ENDANGERED."

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Greenpeace Fisheries Campaign / News Desk

Dave Batker, on-site 206/919/9991

Jen Hillman, 206/632/4326 Ext.

Niaz Dorry, NE Fisheries Campaigner 206/632/4326 Ext. 126

Video available via satellite: 1:00 - 1:30P (PST) on Galaxy C4, Transponder 11

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