Whitby fishermen hold protest over mass crustacean deaths: The long-running issue of mass crustacean die-offs across the coastline of Teesside and North Yorkshire was in the news once again this month as fishermen from Whitby held a protest over the issue. Crabs, lobsters and other small marine creatures have been washing up dead on beaches across the area since the end of 2021. Fishermen believe that the dredging of the River Tees is releasing chemicals into the sea which are killing the animals, but the government has insisted that natural algal blooms are responsible for the deaths. However, the algal bloom theory has been rejected by fishermen from the area, with the findings of independent researchers backing up their claims. There has been little progress in resolving the issue and there are fears that more mass die-offs could happen in the future. This month around one-hundred fishermen protested in Whitby and called for compensation for their industry as many fishermen say that the reduced number of crabs and lobsters is putting their livelihoods at risk. Read more on this story here.
Number of HMPAs to be reduced: The government has announced that the number of HPMAs (Highly Protected Marine Areas) which will be established around the coastline of England will be reduced from five to three. The sites will receive the highest level of protection with almost all activities which damage the marine environment being prohibited from taking place within them. Lord Benyon, the former environment and fisheries minister had previously said that five HMPA sites were the “bare minimum” but it has now been announced that Holy Island (Lindisfarne) and Inner Silver Pit South in the southern North Sea will not be made into HMPAs. The planned Holy Island HMPA was highly controversial as fishing is a crucial part of the island’s economy and the island is only accessible by a causeway which means leaving or entering the island is decided by the tide. This means that residents on the island cannot easily find work on the mainland as it is impossible to keep to regular working hours. Furthermore, the vast majority of the island’s fishermen use lobster and crab pots which are seen as one of the lowest impact forms of commercial fishing. This led to questions being asked as to why the area was chosen to be designated as an HMPA. The Member of Parliament who represents the island, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, said that “removing the small-scale fishing industry from the island would have torn the heart out of the community” and that the “right decision” had been made. The three HMPAs which will still be designated are Allonby Bay in Cumbria, Dolphin Head in the English Channel and Farnes Deep in the North Sea. The government has said that all three will be created by July of this year. Read more on this story by clicking here.
Questions asked over shipping insurers allowing vessels ‘go dark’: London’s centuries-old ship insurance organisations have been accused of failing to ensure that the ships they insure are keeping their tracking systems switched on. Blue Marine Foundation has said that many vessels ‘go dark’ which means they switch off their AIS (Automatic Identification System) transponder which stops them from being tracked. While this is not in itself proof that such vessels are fishing illegally it is a “red flag” as there is no way of knowing what a vessel is doing with the system switched off. It is suspected that some vessels which have gone dark are conducting illegal fishing or fishing in areas where they are prohibited from fishing. Switching off the tracking system is also a safety issue as the AIS is designed to be able to locate the vessel if it gets into trouble and also helps avoid collisions. Blue Marine Foundation said that three London-based insurers were turning a blind eye to vessels switching off their AIS systems claim that continuing to insure vessels which constantly go dark for no apparent reason was against industry guidelines and have issued a complaint to legal regulators. Read more on this story by clicking here.
Noise from deep-sea mining could threaten marine life: Deep-sea mining could be given to go ahead this year despite warnings from scientists that the practice could seriously damage the marine environment. While most scientists have focused on the physical damage deep sea mining will do to the seabed, new research in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Marine Science has stated that the noise produced by the machine which will mine the seabed could have long-term impacts on many species, especially whales. The noise from the machines could interfere with the frequencies whales use to communicate. This would confuse and disorientate whales and would see their activities such as feeding disrupted and could see mothers separated from calves. Dr Kirsten Thompson, a lecturer in ecology at the University of Exeter, likened deep sea mining to a neighbourhood that was “ suddenly disrupted by construction work that goes on 24/7.” Despite the environmental threats, many countries are pushing for deep sea mining to being as the rare earth metals it can produce are in high demand as they are used in batteries for electric cars and electronic devices. The International Seabed Authority which oversees activity in the high seas will meet in March and July and the outcome of those meetings will decide if deep sea mining will begin later this year. Click here to read more on this story.
Retailers and environmental groups criticise EU tuna fishing: The EU is under pressure to change the way its fishing fleet catches tuna following criticism from environmental organisations and retailers. Yellowfin tuna are caught by EU vessels in the Indian Ocean using fish aggregating devices (FADs). These consist of a floating platform or raft where fish gather underneath. A single fishing vessel can use hundreds of FADs, while the fishing methods which are used in conjunction with FADs can catch a large amount of undersize and juvenile fish and non-target species. Now Marks and Spencer, Sainsbury’s and Edeka, Germany’s largest supermarket chain, have called for the use of FADs to be monitored and reduced, with a number of retailers now selling their own FAD-free tuna. Adam Ziyad, vice chair of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) said: “There is a serious lack of assessment and of data on what is happening in FAD fisheries. They operate in a black hole. There might be tens of thousands of FADs in the Indian Ocean. And we don’t know how many turtles or sharks are caught up by them.” Read more here.
Brazil criticised for intentional sinking of aircraft carrier: Brazil has risked international condemnation and criticism from environmental organisations after deliberately sinking a decommissioned aircraft carrier in the Atlantic Ocean. The Sao Paulo was a 32,000 ton aircraft carrier which was built in France in 1963 and sold to Brazil in 2000, with the Brazilian government deciding to decommission and scrap the vessel in 2021. It was towed to a Turkish scrapyard but following a dispute with the Turkish authorities the aircraft carrier was barred from entering Turkey and returned to Brazil. Rather than taking the vessel to a different scrapyard the Brazilian navy instead scuttled the vessel around 220 miles from the nation’s coastline. This has been heavily criticised by environmental groups who claim that the Brazilian government did not want to pay to scrap the vessel and has now created an environmental hazard, with Greenpeace releasing a statement saying: “The sinking of the aircraft carrier Sao Paulo throws tons of asbestos, mercury, lead and other highly toxic substances into the seabed” and added that the sinking contravened three different international conventions on marine pollution and disposing of marine waste. The Brazilian government maintained it carried out a “planned and controlled sinking” and they had no other option as the declining condition of the vessel meant that it was unsafe to bring it into any ports. Click here to read more on this story.