The New Zealand government is refusing to release details of the location a New Zealand bottom trawler hauled up deep sea coral late last year, despite Greenpeace offering to go and survey the damage at the site with deep sea cameras.
But following requests from the scientist in charge of designing the impending deep sea survey, Australia has released these coordinates so that documentation of the impact can go ahead.
Under SPRFMO, the best available information is meant to be provided on the nature of an encounter such as this, and Greenpeace has offered to go and document the site as part of their Seamounts Expedition, due to commence in March 2025.
But requests from Greenpeace for the coordinates of the area were declined by the New Zealand Government due to ‘commercial sensitivity’. The Australian SPRFMO Commissioner has now released these coordinates in response to requests from the expedition’s Lead Researcher.
Greenpeace’s Ellie Hooper is calling the New Zealand government’s refusal to share the coordinates “ludicrous” and “a blatant example of the Luxon led government running interference for the fishing industry.”
Hooper says: “In collaboration with scientists, we’re heading out to the deep ocean to survey vital habitats so we can see what lives there and how that life is being impacted by bottom trawling, including hopefully surveying this impacted site.
“We want to add to our collective understanding of these deep sea ecosystems, about which so little is known, and to shine a light in the dark.”These coordinates have already been shared with all fishing companies and SPRFMO countries, so why is the information being hidden?
“Australia clearly has a more progressive and transparent approach when it comes to deep-sea management, and has provided us with the opportunity to go to this area and attempt to survey it.”
Seamounts and other underwater hills and knolls are ocean lifelines, often home to diverse coral and sponges, and are key breeding grounds for fish and feeding spots for migrating whales.
“The main threat to these ecosystems is bottom trawling,” says Hooper.
It’s estimated that coral brought to the surface by trawlers is only a small fraction of what’s destroyed on the seafloor.1
Next week, Greenpeace Aotearoa will embark on its Seamounts Expedition, where deep sea cameras will be used to collect images and data of these ecosystems, and identify the species living on them.
“To make the most informed decisions on the ocean, we need more observation and science, something that appears to be being blocked by NZ,” says Hooper. “Less than 1% of the world’s seamounts have been surveyed, and most of what we do know about these places is from what’s dragged up dead in bottom trawl nets. That’s a pretty sad reality. “We’re setting out to try and uncover some of the secrets of the deep, it’s challenging work and we don’t know exactly what we ‘ll find – but we’re committed to trying.”
- In November 2024 last year it was reported that an NZ bottom trawler, Westfleet’s Tasman Viking pulled up 37kg of deep sea coral from the Lord Howe Rise area, in the international waters of the South Pacific.
- This triggered a suspension of all fishing in the area.
- Greenpeace is offering to survey the impact site using deep sea cameras as part of a seamounts survey we’re carrying out in March 2025
- But the NZ government has turned down Greenpeace’s request for the information quoting commercial sensitivities, despite all fishing operators, and SPRFMO states already being notified of the location.
- The Australian SPRFMO Commissioner [ lead of their delegation to the RFMO] responded to requests from the Lead Researcher on the seamounts expedition, providing the coordinates of the closed area..
- Greenpeace says NZ failing to release the data is clearly the government protecting the commercial fishing industry above gathering scientific information about the impact of the encounter.
- After a VME encounter such as this in the SPRFMO zone [high seas], states are meant to use the best available scientific information to assess the impact. Documenting the site would inarguably be the best available information, and Greenpeace is offering to provide this with the survey.
- The Greenpeace seamounts expedition will commence in March 2025 and is designed to gather deep sea imagery of deep sea habitats both in the waters of Aotearoa and the international waters of the South Pacific.
- Greenpeace plans to make the findings available so they can be used to improve our collective knowledge of the deep sea.
