25% of the Georges Bank is totally protected from deep-sea trawling, the vacuum cleaner approach that nearly wiped out the cod industry back in the 1980's, something Europe should do but did not when they could not institute a similar ban though their seas are suffering as did the banks back in the day.
PARIS — The European Parliament on Tuesday sided with the fishing industry by voting against an overall ban on deep-sea trawling, but it agreed to restrict some of the worst excesses of the practice.
In a narrow vote of 342 to 326, with 19 abstentions, lawmakers rejected a proposal to phase out deep-sea trawling in which heavy nets are dragged on the ocean floor at depths of more than 600 meters, or about 2,000 feet.
The Parliament, which meets in Strasbourg in eastern France, did vote to end trawling in areas with ecosystems most at risk, like those rich in slow-growing corals and sponges.
And they inserted a requirement calling for a review of the equipment used in deep-sea fishing — including gill nets, which are either anchored to the ocean bottom or allowed to drift in the current, entrapping fish by their gills. In theory, the review could lead to a ban on all deep-sea fishing with gear found to be especially destructive.
It's a start. For reasons why this tech is wrong, click the whimsical and very informative graphic, courtesy penelope-jolicoeur.com, to learn about the deep sea and it's denizens before signing the petition to ban this really harmful process because, it's the right thing to do. :)
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