We're Saving the Whales – But What About the Ugly Animals?

Today several Wellington activists held a banner saying, "We're saving the whales, but what about the ugly animals? Stop bottom trawling." Together with the banner was a picture of a recently discovered blobfish. The activists stood outside Parliament gates, as they called on the Government to support the United Nation's efforts in the campaign for an international moratorium on high seas bottom trawling.

"Our Government has a strong stance on whaling which is commendable, yet it has a weak and hypocritical stance on bottom trawling." spokesperson Meghan Hughes said.

"We are making all the right noise at the IWC, but what's our Government doing about stopping the world's most destructive fishing method? We were world leaders toward the campaign to stop drift net fishing, however now that it is New Zealand vessels taking part in the destruction, our Government appears suspiciously inactive."

The New Zealand Government has refused to publicly support a moratorium on bottom trawling in international waters, a move that has the backing of environmentalists and marine scientists worldwide.

"We are highlighting the sorry performance of our elected officials to act on deep sea destruction. Whaling is a terrible and unsustainable industry still struggling from decades of overfishing; however bottom trawling is just as bad if not worse because of the habitat destruction made by dragging large nets along the ocean floor, and the effect that the practice has on the creatures that rely on that habitat for their existence." said Ms Hughes.

The blobfish was discovered only 3 years ago, and is part of what scientists believe is roughly one hundred million unidentified species living in the ocean's depths.

"This blobfish may appear an ugly and unusual character, but it is still deserves our protection." Ms Hughes said.

Extra Information.

Meghan Hughes can be contacted on 027 356 6603 or Gareth Hughes on 027 422 9290.

The banner will be outside Parliament gates (by the cenotaph) from 7:30-8:30am Tuesday, 20 June 2006.

Blobfish - Psychrolutes microporos

The blobfish is a scorpaeniform – a group of which contains the the most armoured and scaly and spiney spiked fish in the sea. The full range of this deepwater (750-1200m) fish is not yet known, this blobfish was collected at 1200m on the Southern Norfolk Ridge in the Tasman Sea. Scientists can only guess at how the fish feeds and based on its body shape is believed to be an ambush predator that will eat whatever it can fit in. The purpose of the proboscis (nose) is unknown. This fish was discovered on a NORFANZ expedition in 2003

Source:

http://censeam.niwa.co.nz/outreach/blobfish.pdf