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____________________________________________________________________________
.
For immediate Release 5 April, 2005
Poll indicates 9 out of 10 Atlantic Canadians
want restrictions on dragging
Nova Scotia’s Ecology Action Centre, along with B.C.’s Living Ocean Society and
Newfoundland’s Fisheries Recovery Action Committee, released the results of a
survey they commissioned on the level of support amongst Atlantic Canadians for
restricting the use of dragging or trawling, a method of commercial fishing that
involves pulling nets over the ocean floor. Seventy percent of respondents
agreed that “there should be regulations that restrict where trawling can occur
and the types of equipment used” and an additional 19% wanted “a complete ban on
trawling.”
“This is great news for those with decision making authority in fisheries. These
results confirm that there is overwhelming public support for addressing the
impacts of dragging and hence very strong support for the Minister to take
action,” states Mark Butler of the Ecology Action Centre.
In the last decade there has been a growing body of scientific research
documenting that dragging damages and destroys marine life and fish habitat and
the need to adopt more sustainable methods of fishing. The USA and Australia,
have taken steps to reduce the impacts of dragging on marine life including the
closure of almost a million square kilometers of seafloor to bottom trawling in
Alaska.
“We knew that there was public support for change, as a result of conversations
we’ve had with hundreds of Atlantic Canadians from all walks of life over the
years, but even we were surprised to learn that nearly 90% of Atlantic
Canadians were behind change,”, exclaims Fred Winsor of the Fisheries Recovery
Action Committee in St. John’s.
Corporate Research Associates conducted the survey for the Ecology Action
Centre. They interviewed 1500 people from across Atlantic Canada during the
period February 14th to March 4th, 2005. A sample of 1500 respondents would be
expected to provide results accurate to within plus or minus 2.5 percentage
points in 95 out of 100 samples.
"Dragging also exists on the west coast, and we believe that the survey results
would be similar in B.C. Living Oceans has identified 12 areas of the B.C.
coast that should be protected as critical habitat from bottom trawling, but
Fisheries and Oceans has been unresponsive," states Dorthea Hangaard of B.C.’s
Living Oceans Society.
The survey breaks down the interviews by province, age and education. While the
survey does not provide a breakdown by sector or profession, the Centre
believes that a majority of fishermen would also support greater restrictions
on dragging.
Ecology Action Centre’s position is that the Government of Canada must recognize
the impacts of dragger gear both on the ecosystem and fisheries and place
nation-wide comprehensive restrictions on dragging everywhere. In particular,
the EAC would like to see the Government, through a range of mechanisms,
encourage the use of less destructive methods of fishing, such as bottom hook
and line.
Scientists, fishermen, conservationists, and policy analysts from Canada, the
United States and Europe will be discussing healthy and sustainable fisheries
at a conference by the Fisheries Recovery Action Committee, the Ecology Action
Centre and Living Oceans Society in St. John’s on April 28th and 29th. (See
www.ecologyaction.ca/marine)
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For more information please contact the following organizations:
Mark Butler, Marine Coordinator, Ecology Action Centre at 902-429-2202 (NS)
Dorthea Hangaard, Sustainable Fisheries Researcher, Living Oceans Society
at 250-973-6580 (BC)
Fred Winsor, Fisheries Recovery Action Committee at 709-738-3781 (Nfld & Lab)
____________________________________________________________________________
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