Supporters at the Greenpeace restriction Bottom Trawling demonstration in Mission Bay. Photo / Alex Burton
A public occasion objecting bottom trawling in the Hauraki Gulf is under method at Auckland’s Mission Bay as hundreds are anticipated to go to in assistance.
The occasion, called ‘Show Your Heart for the Hauraki’ has actually been arranged by Greenpeace Aotearoa and Forest & Bird as a chance for the general public to express their opposition to bottom trawling in the marine park.
Bottom trawling includes dragging weighted webs over the seafloor in an effort to capture fish and is frequently a favoured technique by business fishing business as it can capture big amounts in one go.
More than 200 crafts consisting of kayaks, fishing boats and private yachts have actually signed up to be on the water to voice their assistance of the occasion and numerous individuals will likewise collect on the beach.
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Greenpeace Oceans advocate Ellie Hooper said bottom trawling is an extremely damaging fishing technique that indiscriminately damages marine life and valuable communities.
“To allow the Hauraki Gulf – Tīkapa Moana to recover and thrive, bottom trawling has got to go. The public mandate for change is clear – 84 per cent of people living around the Gulf want trawling gone from their big blue backyard. It’s time the government heard that call and took action to ban trawling in the Gulf,” she said.
The federal government is presently thinking about fisheries management modifications for the Gulf, however proposed strategies would permit bottom trawling to continue in big locations of the Gulf.
“Species in the Gulf are in an extinction crisis. If the government is serious about revitalising the Gulf, they have simply got to remove this hugely damaging fishing method from the Marine Park.
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“They must have the courage to stand up to the commercial fishing industry and do what’s right – protect Tīkapa Moana for future generations”, said Hooper.
Forest & Bird Hauraki Gulf organizer, Bianca Ranson says the occasion is a clear message to Rachel Brooking, the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries, to end bottom trawling in the marine park.
“Bottom trawling has been ripping up the Hauraki Gulf seafloor since 1899. It’s a violation of our environment at the hands of a few.
“Seafloor species and habitats are being decimated, and whole ecosystems have disappeared. It’s ludicrous to continue this practice in the face of the twin biodiversity and climate crises,” said Ranson.
Seafood New Zealand nevertheless is worried that the occasion organisers’ restricted focus is unhelpful to the shared vision of a healthy Hauraki Gulf.
“To really make positive improvements in the Gulf, there needs to be a generational change and a Ki uta ki tai – mountains-to-sea approach is needed,” said CEO, Dr Jeremy Helson.
“Commercial fishing is not, and would never, shirk its own responsibilities, but unless effective action also takes place on the land, all the other actions will have little effect.
“I would like to see everyone who impacts the Gulf working better together with focus, urgency and commitment so we can make long lasting improvements to its health,” Helson said.
