In
his research for the ten-year European Census of Marine Life, Dr. Jason
Hall-Spencer of Plymouth University in the United Kingdom has found
that deep-sea bottom trawlers are destroying corals and marine habitats
that had been preserved for eons, since the last Ice Age.
Once
used only in shallow waters, the giant heavy nets with rubber rollers
that are dragged along the seafloor are now being taken to deeper seas
due to dwindling numbers of fish.
Along with the countless lives
they take, the net’s rollers are known to collapse delicate coral
habitats. Dr. Hall-Spencer stated in fact that while less than 1% of
some 50,000 underwater sea mountains have been studied, their biodiverse
ecosystems may be decimated before ever being explored.
He
said, “It doesn't matter what ocean you go to, these habitats are being
trashed by international fishing fleets. …What is urgently needed is a
network of protected areas where any type of fishing gear that involves
dragging equipment across the seabed is banned.”
Many thanks, Dr.
Hall-Spencer for your call to halt the destructive practice of bottom
trawling. Indeed, let us allow all fish to live so that our world may
continue to be graced with wondrous marine life.
Supreme Master
Ching Hai has frequently spoken of the need to protect our living
oceans, as in an interview published in the September 2009 edition of
the British Parliament's The House Magazine.
Supreme Master Ching Hai:
If we do end the killing of fish in the spirit of showing respect for
all created life, the fish will rebound very quickly. But the
continuation of fishing activities could damage the balance of marine
life beyond its ability to recover.
Analysis by British
researchers of hundreds of years of fishing records has revealed to us
the devastating effects of trawling to both the marine environment and
sea life. One scientist compared this method to harvesting apples by
lowering a giant net and dragging it through the orchard, thus
destroying the trees,
destroying the very life that supports the fruit.
Please,
request the media’s help in spreading info about the detriments of
trawling and the dire state of fish populations today. Another extremely
effective practice would be to stop eating fish and advocate the same
for all citizens.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/feb/18/deep-sea-trawling-coral-reefs