Two non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have called on Government ministers to approach fisheries management as “carbon management” by including it in Ireland’s climate action plans.
Birdwatch Ireland and the Our Fish campaign are seeking phasing out of bottom trawling by 2030 as one of a series of measures in a briefing published today (May 11).
They have issued their appeal to Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, Minister for the Environment and Climate Eamon Ryan, and Minister for Housing and Local Government Darragh O'Brien.
The two NGOs will outline their views at an event in the Dáil this afternoon hosted by Jennifer Whitmore TD, Social Democrat spokesperson for climate action and biodiversity.
Jennifer Whitmore TD, Social Democrat spokesperson for climate action and biodiversity
Angela Helen Martin, Agder University, Norway, who is one of four speakers, said that fish are “keystones of the ocean’s biological pump, the system constantly at work capturing and storing excess carbon from the atmosphere, where they play a critical role in the ocean’s capacity to sequester carbon”.
“When more fish are left in the ocean, they not only enable whole ecosystems to thrive, they also help more carbon sink to the ocean floor,” she said.
“ The removal of too many fish using methods like bottom trawling can add excessive emissions and damage this carbon-storing habitat - and this has potentially huge implications for climate and biodiversity obligations,” Agder said.
Also speaking are Prof Dave Reid of the Marine Institute, Our Fish programme director Rebecca Hubbard and Birdwatch Ireland marine policy and advocacy officer Sinéad Loughran.
The “Fish Are Carbon Engineers” briefing drawn up by Birdwatch Ireland and Our Fish calls on the three ministers to :
- conduct ecosystem and climate impact assessments of Irish fisheries to ensure that fisheries management decisions such as annual quota setting include the impact of fishing on the carbon sequestration potential of fish populations and the seabed, CO2 emissions, minimisation of bycatch of protected species, food web functioning and seabed integrity;
- implement Article 17 of the Common Fisheries Policy to ensure access to fisheries is based on a transparent set of environmental, social and economic criteria;
- phase out “destructive fishing, including bottom trawling” by 2030;
- remove fuel subsidies through the current revision of the EU Energy Taxation Directive (ETD);
- introduce “climate-smart” marine spatial planning, including prioritisation of sea bed protection.
“These measures will also demonstrate the country's leadership in addressing the pressing issues of climate change and biodiversity loss,” the NGOs state, and say they will require cross-departmental action.
The “Fish Are Carbon Engineers” briefing is here
