Posted on 04/17/2024 4:22:43 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Greece will ban bottom trawling in all of its marine protected areas by 2030, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced on Tuesday making the the country the first in Europe to announce such a ban.
Speaking at the Our Ocean Conference in Athens, he said the country would become the first to bring an end to the damaging fishing practice in these protected areas. It will be banned in Greece’s three national marine parks – one of which is the largest in the East Mediterranean Sea – by 2026 with the rest following before the end of the decade.
Bottom trawling involves dragging heavy fishing nets across the ocean floor, which can destroy habitats and even release carbon into the ocean and atmosphere.
Though there are restrictions in place throughout Europe, this is the first outright ban in all of one country’s marine protected areas.
Mitsotakis said that Greece will spend €780m to protect its “diverse and unique marine ecosystems”.
Grecian Delight supports Greece
He told delegates at the conference in Athens: “We’ve established two additional marine national parks, one in the Ionian and one in the Aegean, increasing the size of our marine protected areas by 80 percent and covering one-third of our marine territorial waters.
“We will ban bottom trawling in our national parks by 2026 and in all marine protected areas by 2030.”
He said he would also establish a state-of-the-art surveillance system, including drones, to enforce the ban.
The proposed Ionian marine national park will cover almost 12 percent of Greek territorial waters, safeguarding sea mammals like sperm whales, striped dolphins and the vulnerable Mediterranean monk seal and the South Aegean MPA, which covers 6.61 percent of Greek territorial waters.
However, the Athens government’s decision to go ahead with two new marine parks in the Aegean and Ionian has stirred up tensions with its historical rival Turkey. Ankara’s foreign ministry warned Greece last week that the proposal in the Aegean lay in a disputed area and that the initiative was “politically motivated”.
Our Ocean conference, Athens Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis and US Climate Envoy John Kerry at the Our Ocean Conference in Athens. Credit: Press Office of the Greek MP NGO’s welcome Greece’s bottom trawling initiative Conservationists welcomed the announcement and said they hoped the move would create a “domino effect” for other EU countries to do the same.
Nicholas Fournier, the campaign director for marine protection at the international conservation group Oceana, said: “Everyone was expecting France or Germany or Spain to step up. The fact that Greece is championing this ban on bottom trawling is surprising but very welcome.
“We hope this creates a domino effect on other European countries to do the same. The pressure is on France, as it hosts the UN oceans conference next year.”
Oceana – along with other NGOs, the Marine Conservation Society and Seas at Risk – has urged the EU to take tougher action against members that still allow bottom trawling in their marine protected areas.
That’s gonna upset the gay guys.
Maxine Waters: Anybody try trawlin’ my bottom I go upside his head.
Why did I immediately think of Obama when I saw the phrase “bottom trawling?”
Don’t worry, the Chinese will be glad to do it.
Ha. Minds can wander.
This is a good thing bottom trawling is the ocean equivalent to strip mining it leaves behind a barren landscape of trawl scars that take up to a century to heal. No legitimate ocean scientist or hydro geoscientist can stand behind the practice l. Especially since there are other less destructive ways to target bottom species of fish and seafood. The nets are not just rope nets they have heavy steel rollers and.chains in the forward bottom edge to scrape everything in its path off the seabottom and into the net behind it nothing is spared it’s indiscriminate carnage. Long line bottom lay down hook lines and baited traps target the same species while allowing for size limits to be set via holes in the traps or took size limits. Good for Greece they have a navy to keep the chicoms out of their EEZ sink a few trawlers they will get the message if need be.
Reminded me of this: The Simpsons - Mr. Burns' Omni-Net
It’s threads like this that let me know I’m among like minds.
Believe me, nobody wants to be bottom trawled by a Greek!
Our Secretary of Health Rachel Levin disagrees as does the Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg. It is rumored that both said, "bottom trawled is our right." /S
[snip] Bottom trawling involves dragging heavy fishing nets across the ocean floor, which can destroy habitats and even release carbon into the ocean and atmosphere. [/snip]
The Greeks also have loads of ancient wrecks they want preserved. Ignore the carbon talking point from the media stooge.
Thanks nickcarraway.
It also destroys some species nesting sites..............
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