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Itunesbm276 Mauritania, Greenpeace, and Bottom Trawling
Following my guest a few weeks ago, Pauline Bax, who discussed her visit to Mauritania and her research into the issue of selling fishing rights to EU companies, several experts from around the world were quite upset. Their frustration was related to the issue of ocean bottom trawling, a practice which has been banned in the European Union and in various parts of the world, but is now being practiced by EU fishing companies in Mauritania.
Among those that got in touch with me, Greenpeace Netherlands asked specifically to be on my program and if I would like to come to their headquarters here in Amsterdam. And so yesterday I made my way over there and spent some time with Farah Obaidullah, Oceans Campaigner with a world of knowledge and experience related to Mauritania and the ocean floor. She also explains in detail what this fishing practice does to an ecosystem, and exactly who is doing this and how.
Also for background reading, from Greenpeace, here’s the document entitled Holland Shelfish – Strip Mining Mauritania’s Seafloor.
Music:
- Arcade Fire – Ocean of Noise
- Eddie Vedder – Society
The title of this podcast brought a smile to my face. I think you meant ‘bottom trawling’ instead of ‘bottom trolling’ (?) Bottom trolling sounds like something Cheryl Merkowski does.
oh thats funny. I didnt even realize it. I was wanting to let Madge know that Id written about bottom “trolling” but indeed… I meant the other kind.
hi
totally off topic, your contact (and obviously the whole bicyclemark.org) page is offline and i wanted to get in touch with you.
greetings
If only it would have been banned in the EU.. It has just been banned from some sensitive areas. But you´re right it should be banned everywhere else as this fishing technique is much more destructive than large scale driftnets which are banned on a Worldwide level by the UN General Assembly. But I guess drowning dolphins in these nets captures the attention of the media and politicians much more easily than the irreversible and grave ecosystem impacts caused by bottom trawling…This requires a few more braincells to understand
Also how politically correct of your friends to think that we cannot say as white people to Africans how to manage their resources. …And how convenient for the African ruling elite who sell their resources for a nickel and a dime (and the boutiques on the Champs d´Elysees) and what a shame for the ordinary Africans who depend on their natural resources for survival. Maybe they´ll understand if Europe gets invaded by African boatpeople.
emailing you now.