“There has been no doubt there has been a massive public focus on this.” ~ Environment Minister Burke
Thousands of passionate people have stopped the Margiris from ruining Australia’s oceans. Today Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke announced new laws that will ban the super trawler for up to two years.
This victory is thanks to the power of collective will and the importance of standing up for what’s right.
It was the united action of community members, environmentalists and fishing groups that convinced the government to protect Australia’s fish stocks, marine wildlife and fishing communities.
This achievement would not have happened without you. The government heard you loud and clear when you signed the ‘no super trawlers’ petition. Thank you!
The donations received by Greenpeace supporters also enabled us to:
- Highlight the dangerous flaws in the approval process and the threat to Australia’s fishing communities, fish stocks and marine ecosystems.
- Track the Margiris’ route and raise awareness of its pending arrival and take direct action as it hit Australian waters.
- Publicise the super trawler’s destructive history and present the investigative research Greenpeace had conducted across the globe over many years.
- Reveal the European Union subsidies that keep the vessel in operation.
- Heighten awareness in threatened regional coastal towns with media advertisements.
- Unite with a unique coalition of groups to mobilise diverse communities, hold rallies and pressure the government.
This is a significant setback for the European super trawler fleet – however the campaign against destructive fishing needs to continue.
The Margiris is just one fishing vessel that is impacting marine ecosystems globally. The global fishing fleet is catching more fish than nature can sustain. In our region, the Pacific faces the threat of over-sized foreign vessels every day.
Greenpeace will continue its global campaign against overfishing and destructive fishing practices.
To do this we need your ongoing help. Our work depends on people like you acting with us, as well as supporting us financially.
Please Donate Today
Congratulations and thank you again for helping to bring about this wonderful victory.
For our oceans
Nathaniel Pelle
Oceans Campaigner
Greenpeace Australia Pacific
PS Thank you again for getting behind this issue. To find out more about Greenpeace’s other critical campaigns, please click here.
Comments
Super trawler success
Dear friends,
Exciting news!
Moments ago, the Environment and Fisheries Ministers held a press conference in Canberra to announce that the huge fishing super trawler, the Abel Tasman (a.k.a the FV Margiris), will be banned from Australian waters for two years.
The super trawler was readying to leave port, set to trawl our oceans with a net longer than the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
A huge congratulations to GetUp member, Rebecca Hubbard, who started the 'Stop the Super Trawler' campaign on GetUp's community campaigning platform CommunityRun! Over the last month, Rebecca's campaign grew to 93,864 petition signatures, over 18,000 emails to the Fisheries Minister, a series of rallies on the ground, and a huge national print advertising campaign calling on the Minister to stop the trawler. Thanks go to Rebecca, our allies at Environment Tasmania, Greenpeace, and the 14 other conservation and fishing groups who worked on this!
This is what GetUp is all about. As Minister Burke said in this morning's press conference, "no doubt there has been a massive public focus on this". He heard from politicians across Australia who responded to the community concern over the super trawler. Congratulations.
This afternoon, Minister Tony Burke will introduce legislation that bans supertrawlers for up to two years, and allow his office to conduct scientific research before approving or blocking such fishing in our waters in future. Fisheries Minister Joe Ludwig also announced a review of the 20 year old fisheries management legislation, in light of concerns about super trawlers devastating fish stocks.
Can you help GetUp members keep running campaigns like this one?
Rebecca's campaign is one of hundreds powered by CommunityRun. It's a new tool provided by GetUp, where members can start online campaigns, gather supporters and email them to raise money, run events, and contact politicians.
It's a great website, but it's more than that. Dedicated GetUp staff and interns provide support for campaigns where we can, on everything from writing emails to securing media coverage, booking ads and holding events.
The service is free to campaigners like Rebecca because it's paid for by small donations from the GetUp community. The average donation is about $27, and every dollar helps us bring on more support for campaigns like this. Can you chip in?
http://www.getup.org.au/supportcommunitycampaigns
What the super trawler campaign proves is that we can come together on issues we're passionate about - and we can win. Today we stopped a massive super trawler - who knows what's possible tomorrow?
Thanks for being part of this movement,
Justine, for the team at GetUp and CommunityRun.
PS - Thank you Minister Burke, Minister Ludwig, and Melissa Parke MP for responding to the community and an unprecedented threat to our marine life and fisheries. If you'd like to congratulate them, tweet at @Tony_Burke and @jw_ludwig or contact Melissa Parke on facebook.
Vast areas of ocean are like deserts with little marine life
People dont realise that their is not as many fish living in the ocean as you might think their is, vast areas of ocean are like deserts with little marine life.
Shouldn't the supertrawler be confiscated . . .
Shouldn't the supertrawler be confiscated . . .
You bet...
...and sunk somewhere to form an artificial reef for fish to flourish in.
Keep some bits and pieces - some shredded metal, maybe? - to send to EU headquarters as mementos of what happens to their tax-funded monsters if they try to destroy our oceans.
The mind boggles that such monstrosities are allowed to operate anywhere at all.
Off Africa they destroy the livelihoods of poor fishers, starvation ensues, food aid is shipped in, ruining the competitiveness of local farmers, making more starve.
And the rest of the world looks on and blames the victims.