OPERATION OCEAN WITNESS

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: march 2022 :: RMTnews 22 Many RMT members in the off- shore energy, renewables, wind farms and ferry sectors and other maritime industries will have worked in the once- thriving fishing industry before being forced to find employment elsewhere. They have seen coastal communities devastated first by the disastrous Common Fisheries Policy imposed from the EU and now this Tory government’s Brexit betrayal of the fishing industry which is further killing off what should be a vital sector for any island nation. Many in the fishing industry have united under the banner Operation Ocean Witness, an alliance with Greenpeace UK and others to demand that the government takes immediate and urgent action to protect coastal livelihoods and the health of our oceans. This country’s oceans and coastal communities are in crisis. Just one third of our fish populations are in a healthy state. Industrial fishing vessels like supertrawlers and fly- shooters have immense catching capacity and are pushing marine ecosystems and fish populations to the brink of collapse, leaving local fishermen with nothing left to catch. Greenpeace has been working with local fishermen to document the destruction of the UK’s seas by industrial fishing. When you’re on the water, it’s very clear: our fishing communities – especially in the English Channel and Southern North Sea – are at breaking point. Without urgent action, our oceans will be damaged beyond repair and our fishing communities won’t survive. In the plus side the government has used new post-Brexit powers to ban electric pulse trawling, a perfect example of what is possible when there is political will. Australia banned Greenpeace UK: Why is the government letting destructive 'supertrawlers' fish in Marine Protected Areas? OPERATION OCEAN WITNESS RMT member Martin Yorwarth explains why coastal communities are joining forces to protect the ocean