Sustainable Fishing: Marine Reserves

The North Sea might not be as glamorous as the Pacific or the Indian Ocean, but it's a vital marine habitat that is at risk from over-fishing and destructive fishing methods. For instance, North Sea cod are in trouble. Despite being one of Britain's best-loved foods, in the past two decades their numbers have dwindled to the point where they are facing total collapse.

The Arctic Sunrise is campaigning for large areas of this degraded sea to be turned into marine reserves - national parks at sea where all marine life, including cod, can get some respite from the ravages of commercial fishing. Only by setting aside large areas of our oceans can we protect their ecosystems and allow them to recover and thrive. It would also ensure a future for a sustainable fishing industry for generations to come.

For the latest news from the ship and to send messages to the crew, read the North Sea Tour blog (click the link in my fav. blogs section)

For the past seven years, EU scientists have recommended that, to give stocks time to recover, no cod should be fished at all. But the fishing industry, even though it's no longer a significant contributor to the UK economy, remains a potent political force and so nothing is done.

Now, at long last, some practical measures are being discussed which could improve the situation: the EU Marine Strategy Directive and the UK Marine Bill both contain measures that could result in much more coherent controls on all human activities at sea, protecting the marine environment and the species that depend on it.

We think that as much as 40 per cent of the North Sea needs to be protected if recovery is to be successful, but neither the EU or the UK government has shown any signs of committing to such large reserves.

If they don't, there will probably be no fishing industry to speak of in a few decades. And we're not the only ones who think something must be done; recently the Royal Commission on Environmental Protection declared that 30 per cent of all UK waters should be designated no-take zones.

Despite this, the fishing and other industries are lobbying hard to weaken environmental protection proposals in both the EU directive and the Marine Bill. Environment secretary David Miliband is working on both and so is perfectly positioned to push for large marine reserves - write to him now.