Article: Greenpeace drops rocks off Sweden to halt trawling

Monday August 10, 2009

By Daniel Zdolsek

OFF THE SWEDISH COAST, Sweden (Reuters) - The environmental group Greenpeace dropped dozens of boulders into the Kattegatt, the strait between Sweden and Denmark, on Monday to fight 'bottom trawling' with nets that rake the seabed.

Sweden, which holds the six-month European Union presidency, called Greenpeace's actions "confrontational" and said that, while it wanted to protect marine life, the waters were not a spawning area for popular species like cod.

Greenpeace activists faced rough seas as they sank the first 40 of a planned 180 boulders weighing 0.5 to 3 tonnes each into the Kattegatt waters, 20 km (12 miles) off southwest Sweden, while half a dozen fishing trawlers circled nearby.

Bottom trawling is widely seen seen as damaging to the seabed and resulting in high levels of by-catch, which Greenpeace says fishermen toss back dead or dying.

Magnus Kindbom, a political adviser at Sweden's fisheries ministry, said the action threatened agreements with neighbouring Denmark on fishing bans in other larger, more sensitive fishing areas between their coasts.

Greenpeace said in a statement that Sweden must introduce a permanent ban on fishing in the area by its own vessels. Under the EU Common Fisheries Policy members can ban their own vessels from an area, and those of another nation by bilateral agreement, but cannot issue a general fishing ban on a site.

European countries have done little to protect marine sites because they are bound by the CFP, which is based on the principle that EU fishermen have equal access to all member states' waters, Greeenpeace said.

It urged the Swedish EU presidency to reform the CFP to enable member states to impose tougher conservation measures on protected marine areas.

The area of the Kattegatt strewn with boulders is listed under Natura 2000, a network of protected areas across the 27-member bloc aimed at protecting wildlife and its habitats.

Greenpeace says the site is the only one off Sweden known to hold maerl beds, formed from slow-growing algae, and bubble reefs made of lime deposit, and is vulnerable to bottom trawling.

It says that before the Kattegat's fish stocks collapsed, it held important feeding grounds for fish and a spawning ground for herring. It is an important winter feeding ground for many seabirds and is covered with kelp forests teeming with marine life.

Greenpeace said that in 2008 it dropped 320 boulders in waters off northern Germany and this had been highly effective in curbing trawling in the area.

Sweden's Kindbom said there was a risk that fishing boats would be unable to steer clear of the boulders and that some of the rocks were light enough to be pulled aboard, damaging boats or injuring fishermen.

Copyright © 2008 Reuters

This article was taken from: The Star Online: World Updates 10 August 2009