Sir Richard Branson’s letter to UK Minister Richard Benyon regarding bottom trawling
November 27, 2012
Dear Minister Benyon,
As you know, the European Commission has issued a proposal for a new regulation to manage deep sea fisheries in European waters and in the high seas of the Northeast Atlantic. The Commission is proposing legislation that would place much stricter controls on fishing for vulnerable deep sea species and phase out deep sea bottom trawling and bottom gill net fishing. Both methods of fishing, and in particular deep sea bottom trawling, are widely recognized by deep sea biologists to be non-selective and highly destructive to cold water corals, sponges, and other habitat forming deep sea species.
The deep sea is one of the last unexplored ecosystems on the planet. It is an area rich with new discoveries,but also highly vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbance. The damage caused by these fishing methods in the deep sea is severe, long lasting, and may very well be irreversible. I strongly urge you to take up the challenge and the opportunity afforded by the proposal from the European Commission to lead the effort of the European Council to protect one of the greatest and most bio-diverse ecosystems of the UK and Europe and in turn, ensure sustainable fisheries. The UK government should support the proposal to phase out bottom trawling and bottom gillnet fishing in the deep sea and work with the fellow Ministers from other EU Member States to ensure that the European Council of Ministers ultimately adopts this proposal.
Kind regards,
Richard
Here's a few comments from fishing folk around the virtual fishing world:
Richard branson would like to stop us deep sea fishing as we damage the seabed or marine life, hmmmm sory Richard but go and calculate the emissions of all of your planes, lorrys, trains etc and tell me what effect this has on the environment, look forward to your reply :)
(some mechanical translations!)
Apparently Virgin also has interests in marine cables, very high-tech, etc. It would not be an interest on marine REE of the ocean? http://www.KIS-Orca.EU/operators/subsea-cable/Virgin#.UTaDvTcx1wQ
Fish Fight also exists in France. In his first campaign, they made the promotion of the total ban on discards. Fish Fight France directly is the child of Fish Fight England.
This jostling before the cameras. Richard Branson of the Virgin Group boss "called the United Kingdom to take a major role in the prohibition of deep-sea fisheries". French fishermen are furious and the Treaty of opportunistic research advertising. French fishermen are very mobilized against Fish Fight England who wants to impose 127 areas without sin, while the Government wants to retain as a 30 elder. Many of these areas without sin are used also by French, Dutch, Belgian and Irish fishermen. Other European fishermen have practically not been associated.
On another tack, but still fishing related Richard Branson asks people to sign a petition to end the practice of blast fishing in Indonesia - which might seem a reasonable request However, closer inspection of his blog post reveals that the area concerned was badly affected by the Boxing Day tsunami - since when the local people have suffered economically - perhaps the petition should be directed at encouraging the local government to intervene and help these people who are probably blast fishing in desperation! - remember the bottom levels in Maslow's heirachy of needs Sir Richard!
