NAIROBI (Reuters) – Greenpeace has discovered widespread use of illegal driftnets in the northwestern Indian Ocean, damaging marine life in one of the world’s most vulnerable fishing grounds.
The environmental organization says during two weeks at sea that it filmed seven ships within 50 square kilometers (50 square kilometers) with driftnets to catch tuna. It detected eight more vessels on radar using navigation patterns that also suggested the use of nets.
“If yellowfin tuna continues to decline at the current rate, food security in the region as well as local economies will suffer a major blow,” Greenpeace said.
The nets were called ‘the’ walls of death ‘by the United Nations 30 years ago for the amount of other marine life they catch, in addition to the fish for which they are set.
Greenpeace shared footage with Reuters of sharks and manta rays killed in the nets, about 800 kilometers east of Somalia. “Because of the by – catches, we are concerned about all the fish in the Indian Ocean,” he said, adding that the same area had also seen a huge increase in unregulated fishing.
“What’s the point in a UN ban on driftnets when all the fishing vessels we’ve seen use driftnets?” asks Will McCallum, head of oceans at Greenpeace UK, in a comment to Reuters.
“There is little or no enforcement in international waters … We need a global ocean treaty to close this huge gap in government.”
Nations are due to meet in August for negotiations on such a treaty, aimed at securing guarantees for parts of the ocean similar to land-based reserves.
Last month, representatives from thirty countries met to discuss ways to rapidly weaken the tonnes in the Indian Ocean. The meeting was terminated without any new agreement.
Reported by Katharine Houreld and Maggie Fick; edited by John Stonestreet