tried to post url but failed miserably! check out the mca website for info on battle being waged against trawlers.
https://mcanet.mcga.gov.uk/public/news/
ah, that gets you there, see 'western approaches'.
[Bren's Edit: here ya go mate. Article now here]
Press Notice No: Duty 1 Thursday, March 17, 2005
ACTION BETWEEN UK REGISTERED TRAWLERS AND GREENPEACE IN THE WESTERN APPROACHES
The MCA has today taken action in the dispute between UK-registered trawlers and a Greenpeace vessel following the protest by Greenpeace against the indiscriminate catching of dolphins while the fishing vessels were trawling for bass off the Cornish coast.
Letters have been issued to all the vessels involved, including the UK-registered fishing vessels `Ocean Crest’; `Ocean Dawn’; `Ocean Star’; and `Sunrise’ and Greenpeace's Dutch-registered vessel ‘Esperanza’, reminding them of the importance of keeping the safety of both personnel and vessels, and the prevention of pollution, paramount.
They have been further reminded of the requirements of the International Regulations for Prevention of Collision, and the International Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter.
The current action between UK registered trawlers and the Dutch registered Greenpeace vessel and operatives in the Western approaches is outside the United Kingdom’s territorial water limit, but falls within both the UK Search and Rescue region and the UK Pollution Control Zone.
The Agency has taken this action at the stage where the lives of both protestors and fishermen have been endangered, collision regulations have been given low priority, international distress signals have been misused, and metallic buoys with hazardous chains and grapnel hooks have been dumped at sea.
There is also now a distinct potential for serious pollution should a vessel not involved in the fishing/ protesting run into the dropped buoys, or find that the collision regulations are not being strictly observed by the fishing vessels or Greenpeace vessels.
The Agency is closely monitoring events as they unfold along with other interested parties in the South West.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is an executive agency of the Department for Transport. The agency is concerned amongst other issues with reducing the rate of accidents and deaths within the UK Search and Rescue region and coastline, and minimising the number of incidents of pollution from shipping activities in the UK Pollution Control Zone.
Posted by: Joanne Groenenberg
For further details contact:
The Maritime & Coastguard Agency Duty Press Officer
Office hours: 023 8032 9401