For more than a decade, the NPFMC has reviewed research and proposals outlining the case for conserving vulnerable coral and sponge hotspots in the canyons, but the governing body has ignored these calls, instead favoring the region’s industrial fishing lobby.
At the council’s meeting in Anchorage this week, Greenpeace, World Wildlife Fund, Marine Conservation Institute and Earthjustice presented a proposal to protect the world’s largest underwater canyons, Pribilof and Zhemchug, based upon the best available science, but the groups’ requests were denied. The council has received an unprecedented amount of public support for canyons conservation, including comments from over 200,000 individuals, a diverse coalition of NGOs and tribal organizations, and a dozen major seafood retailers such as Costco, Safeway, Ahold, Whole Foods Market, Wegmans, Bon Appetit and McDonald’s.
A study released by researchers from the Marine Science Institute at the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) and Greenpeace earlier this year and a new study by NOAA scientists both concluded that Pribilof canyon is the most significant location for deep sea corals in the entire Bering Sea.
In response to today’s news, Greenpeace Senior Oceans Campaigner Jackie Dragon said:
“The council missed an opportunity to protect the Bering Sea canyons, instead leaving fragile coral and sponge habitats vulnerable to destruction from industrial fishing. We can no longer kick the can down the road on protections for the largest underwater canyons in the world. The science clearly shows this is vulnerable habitat that warrants protection, yet the council caved to industry pressure and ignored the interests of the public and the retailers who are calling for change.
“Failure to protect the Bering Sea is becoming a reputational risk for the council, which has in the past been regarded as one of the best fishery managers in the world. NOAA’s guidance is clear: protect known coral and sponge habitat from fishing gear that tears up the ocean floor. The Bering Sea is one of the most important ecosystems in the world; at minimum it deserves a public process to figure out options for its protection.
“The council has heard from over 200,000 people, NGOs, tribal organizations and leading seafood businesses that want to see the canyons protected. It’s time to listen to more than just industrial fishing lobbyists.”
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Contact: Perry Wheeler, Greenpeace Media Officer, P: 301-675-8766
