The Green Party is urgently calling on the Government to ban bottom trawling, following news a New Zealand bottom trawler caught 37kg of coral in international waters, prompting the suspension of all fishing in the area until 2026.
"We either ban bottom trawling or we allow our ocean ecosystems to be ripped apart and washed away," says the Green Party Spokesperson for Oceans and Fisheries, Teanau Tuiono.
"Our oceans are the lifeblood of Aotearoa. It is incumbent upon us to protect them, not only for their beauty, but for their essential role in sustaining life on our planet.
"Today's news is a stark reminder of the damage bottom trawling can do to the fragile ecosystems that line our ocean. Bottom trawling is infamous for its devastating impacts on marine life, and yet, here we are-witnessing the destruction of coral ecosystems that took thousands of years to grow, obliterated in moments.
"Minister Jones' response to this environmental vandalism highlights his complete and utter disregard for our environment. It is high time he climbed out of the pocket of the industry interests that have him wrapped around their finger and stood up for our ocean before its critical ecosystems are destroyed.
"The Green Party campaigned on banning bottom trawling on seamounts, which are abundant in the Lord Howe Rise. This damage could have been avoided. We can't go back in time, but we can move now to prevent this from happening again.
"This isn't just an accident; it's the predictable result of policies that prioritise profit over protection.
"Our oceans are not infinite resources to be exploited at whim. Allowing destructive trawling practices in these vulnerable marine areas is an outright failure to safeguard the environment.
"Our oceans and the delicate ecosystems within them cannot afford to be sacrificed. It's time for this government to step up, end bottom trawling on seamounts, and put genuine protections in place for our marine biodiversity-before more irreplaceable ecosystems are destroyed," says Teanau Tuiono.
