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Greenpeace wants fishing trawlers banned
August 16, 1996
Web posted at: 2:15 a.m. EDTFrom Correspondent Susan Reed
San Francisco (CNN) -- The battle lines have been drawn in the Pacific Northwest, pitting the fishing industry against ocean conservationists.
At issue are the gigantic trawlers -- combined boats and fish processing factories -- that comb the Pacific Ocean killing nearly everything in their paths.
The environmental group Greenpeace believes these floating fish factories are destroying the water's ecosystems.
"What we are calling for is a ban on fishing trawlers. On a specific kind of ship that's used basically to strip mine or vacuum out all the fish in the ocean."
As many as 70 fishing trawlers operate in the rich waters off Alaska. They catch tons of unwanted fish that are killed and thrown overboard. Called by-catch, critics argue that those fish could support smaller fishermen, and they're critical to the ecosystem.
"If we do not ban fishing trawlers in the northern Pacific, we fear there will not be any fish left, or any jobs left in a very short period of time," said Ken Stump of Greenpeace.
Greenpeace is counting on the public's support on this issue. On the other side, the politicians, fishery management officials and trawler operators argue that Greenpeace has no facts to back up its call for a ban.
"Ask the federal scientists if the fishing trawlers overfish; they will tell you no. Ask them if the ecosystem up there is on the verge of collapse; they will tell you there is no evidence to support that," said John Bundy of Glacier Fish Company.
The debate comes as Congress considers renewing the Magnuson Act, America's primary fishing regulation. It's a big issue in Alaska, where so many residents depend on fishing.
"There should be a place for them but only, only if they fish cleanly and only if they target only the species they want to catch and limit themselves so they don't waste that species," Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska.
"The by-catch that they're wasting is about 700 million pounds," former Alaska governor Walter Hinkle said.
Most of the trawlers are based in Washington state. Senator Slade Gorton, D-Washington, says it is a fishery management problem.
"There are too few fish for too many fisherman who are catching it, but to say that one group simply has to go bankrupt and have its investments completely wiped out isn't fair," Gorton said.
Supporters of the Magnuson Act say they will have additional strict penalties to deal with waste.
All sides involved are acutely aware that overfishing killed the industy in the Northeast. What they disagree on is how to stop that from happening in the Pacific Northwest.
Related story:
- Fishermen devise way to catch tuna, protect dolphins - May 27, 1996
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