Legal Moves Fail to Halt 3rd Day of Action Against Destructive F

["greenbase" <greenbas@gb.greenpeace.org>]

LEGAL MOVES FAIL TO HALT THIRD DAY OF ACTION AGAINST DESTRUCTIVE
FISHING PRACTICES 

Amsterdam, 6 March 1997 --  Fifteen fishing companies have failed in
their legal attempt to force Greenpeace to halt its dramatic actions
against beam trawlers which use chains to plough up the seabed in the
North Sea.

Fishermen from the Netherlands and Germany had asked a court in
Amsterdam to impose fines of five million Dutch guilders if Greenpeace
comes closer than 500 metres to the trawlerboats.

Instead, the Court has issued an injunction calling on Greenpeace not
to place ropes or other material in the sea in a manner which would
interfere with the rear action of the fishing boats. There are no
restrictions on approaching the boats themselves, or on other types of
peaceful protest.

"We welcome this decision by the Court," said Greenpeace campaigner
Just van den Broek. "It means Greenpeace can continue its peaceful
protests against destructive fishing practices in the North Sea."

This morning, off the German coastline, Greenpeace activists climbed
onto the beams of the trawlers in an attempt to prevent further
destructive fishing. The boats retaliated by lowering the beams into
the water, submerging the climbers, and rolling the trawlers from side
to side. The activists were thrown off but climbed back on. 

For three days now,  Greenpeace has been trying to persuade the
fishermen to stop using this method of fishing. They responded by
throwing discarded fish and wooden blocks at the activists.

Four years ago government scientists cited beam trawling using chains
as the major cause of seabed destruction, concluding that "proposals
should be developed to reduce the negative effect of beam trawling. 
Since then, nothing has been done.

Greenpeace is calling on next week's Intermediate Ministerial Meeting
(IMM) in Bergen, Norway, to take concrete measures to save North Sea
fisheries, including the phasing out of the beam trawler chains
responsible for sea bed habitat destruction. 

     ends


For details of photographs and footage of the action contact: Anke
Scheibe (footage) on 31 20 524 9543, Steve Morgan (photos) 31 20 524
9514

For further information contact Peter Pueschel, Greenpeace Campaigner
on board the MV Greenpeace on 49 172 381 8145; James Gillies, Press
Officer, Greenpeace International, Amsterdam on 31 20 524 9548.