“Today, bottom trawlers track down fish at depths of up to 1500m to compensate for the depletion of shallow water resources. Their gigantic nets rake up the bottom of the ocean, destroying virtually all of the deep sea habitat and the fauna it hosts. 

Many deep sea creatures are already in danger of extinction. Without government subsidies, deep sea trawlers would operate at a loss.

Deep-sea bottom trawling: Let’s end this massacre of biodiversity.”

Follow Bloom Associations campaign against destructive fishing practices here. 

Bloom Associations, though over shadowed by the disappointment of Rio +20, won an epic David vs. Goliath style court case against Intermarché who claimed to “[play] a determinant role in maintaining sustainable fishing in France, the preservation and renewal of marine resources.”

Intermarché belongs to the French group, Les Mousquetaires, which also owns a large Brittany-based trawler fleet that supplies its well-stocked fish counters.

Claire Nouvian, of Bloom, called the company up on their claim that  its fishing practices down to 1,500 meters, or about 5,000 feet, caused less damage than a hiker’s footprint on a beach.

“That would be laughable if it didn’t sow doubt among officials and legislators,” she said. “This total scorn for truth bogs down the debate in technical detail and suggests there is scientific controversy, which there is not.”

She cited the gold-standard International Council for the Exploitation of the Sea, which classed all French and European Union deep-sea catch as beyond safe biological limits.

The French court ordered Intermarché to stop the ad campaign and also drop a logo that is similar to the Marine Stewardship Council seal of approval.

How cool is this, and how cool is she! Congratulations to Bloom - your small NGO’s huge victory is an inspiration to all. If you have a voice, and the determination you have all the tools you need to make a difference. 

(Source: mad-as-a-marine-biologist, via oceansdream)