6/10 GP Demands Immediate Action to Save N Sea Fish

[the.greenbase@green2.greenpeace.org]

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Original-TO:      World Press (Green2:Green2:Gnl:INET)
Original-TO:   The.Greenbase@green2.greenpeace.org
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GREENPEACE DEMANDS IMMEDIATE ACTION TO SAVE NORTH  SEA FISH
STOCKS  
 
LUXEMBOURG, June 10, 1996 - During a demonstration today
Greenpeace called on EU fisheries ministers to take the tough
decisions necessary to save herring stocks in the North Sea
and to protect the environment from the effects of destructive
industrial, or "hoover", fishing.  
 
Greenpeace climbers dropped a banner saying  "Stop the
Plunder" accompanied by a fish bone sign  from the roof of the
European Council building in Luxembourg and a group of  15
activists holding placards, two dressed as herrings, greeted
fisheries ministers as they arrived this morning.  
New data on herring from EU scientists describes the appalling
state of herring stocks.  The scientists recommended an
immediate stop of herring fisheries to halt the decline but
fisheries ministers are still yet to decide.  Political action
has to be taken before the fishing season  ends and another
fish stock declines even further.  
 
Sixty per cent of the North Sea herring catch is taken by
industrial fisheries. Industrial fishing undermines the
biological foundation of the North Sea by taking half of all
fish landed by weight from the North Sea each year.  It takes
billions of small fish often from ecologically sensitive areas
which are of great importance to birds, marine mammals and
predator fish.   
 
Greenpeace calls on fisheries ministers to immediately stop
industrial fishing in ecologically sensitive areas.  The
Greenpeace vessel mv Sirius is currently patrolling areas
Greenpeace has identified as sensitive as part of a campaign
to stop overfishing in the North Sea.
 
Today's Council meeting also considers a new proposal to
reduce and restructure European fleets, the Multi Annual
Guidance Programme IV (MAGP IV).    
While the plan recommends cuts to certain fleets it does not
target the most destructive and capital-intensive vessels
first. Greenpeace demands that environmentally and socially
destructive sectors of the European fishing fleet be cut first
in the interests of the marine environment.  Obvious examples
of destructive fishing in European waters are industrial
fishing, driftnets and supertrawlers.  None of these fishing
methods are specifically addressed in the new plan.
 
"Every year, the Fisheries Council has set quotas higher than
the original biological advice, to satisfy the demands of the
huge European fishing fleets," said Greenpeace's Just van den

Broek.  "Too many fishing boats is a major driving force
behind the decline of the fish stocks and the destruction of
the marine ecosystem," he said.
 
Previous MAGP's have so far proved utterly inadequate and
didn't result in a decrease in fishing capacity. Several
member states failed to meet the target reduction, others
achieved the reduction sometimes by reflagging or redeploying
their vessels and the majority of the vessels decommissioned
were small ones, the ones providing most employment.  So for
fish stocks and fishermen the situation became worse instead
of better.
 
Greenpeace demands as a long-term approach the implementation
of the precautionary principle in the CFP.  Due to the crisis
in European fisheries, Greenpeace is calling on EU fisheries

ministers to adopt an emergency recovery plan for all
threatened fish stocks. An essential part of both approaches
is to bring fishing capacity into line with the available
resources.  
 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Just van den Broek   00-31-653106597 
Greenpeace Communications: Jon Walter 00-44-1718330600
NB PHOTOS AND FOOTAGE AVAILABLE FROM GREENPEACE

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