Help protect ancient ecosystems from bottom trawling
Bottom trawling is the most destructive fishing method on the planet that drags massive nets with steel plates across the seabed, destroying everything in its path.
Help push the Australian Government to champion an ocean sanctuary in the Tasman Sea before it’s too late. Donate now.
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In making a donation to Greenpeace Australia Pacific, you will be providing us with your personal information. We may use your information to enable us to process your donation, communicate with you about your donation and inform you about our campaigns. Your information is safe and secure with us – for more information please see our Donor Collection Notice and Privacy Policy.
Image: Bottom Trawler in the Barents Sea
You can help create a sanctuary in the Tasman Sea
$25
can help send Greenpeace ships to remote regions to gather data on ocean areas of significance for the 30x30 goal
$45
can help prevent future destruction from bottom trawling through the creation of a high seas ocean sanctuary in the Tasman Sea
$65
can help track and expose those causing damage to our oceans through destructive practices like bottom trawling
Hidden treasures, gone forever
Help stop the industrial fishing industry from plundering the treasures of the Tasman Sea.
Where a licence to fish means a licence to kill
Deep beneath the waves lies a hidden paradise – the Lord Howe Rise and the South Tasman Sea, where underwater mountain ranges and ancient coral gardens burst with life. This rich ecosystem boasts an astonishing array of species, including vibrant fish, unique invertebrates, stunning megafauna and majestic seabirds, making it one of the most biodiverse regions on earth.
But destructive bottom trawling is devastating these deep sea ecosystems. A staggering amount of marine life – including sharks and dolphins – is hauled up as bycatch, and then discarded overboard, dead or injured. This brutal fishing method causes irreparable damage. It leaves the ocean floor scarred, and threatens the survival of endangered species like the South Pacific humpback whale and rare Antipodean albatross, which rely on this fragile ocean habitat for feeding and breeding. We need your help to save them.
You can help us protect the ocean’s hidden treasures and champion an ocean sanctuary in the Tasman Sea.
Which of these marine treasures are at risk? All of them
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Seamounts are critical breeding, resting, and feeding grounds for these majestic whales on their long migration from the Great Barrier Reef to the Southern Ocean. Habitat loss and fishing gear entanglement threaten their survival – protected waters could be their last refuge.
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The Tasman Sea is a key feeding area for these endangered seabirds, which can fly vast distances and live over 40 years. Their numbers have plunged two-thirds in a decade, susceptible to being hooked by industrial longliners as they dive for bait.
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For over 400 million years, sharks have helped shape ocean ecosystems, keeping marine populations balanced and supporting ocean health. But overfishing and the threat of bycatch by bottom trawlers are decimating their populations, putting these vital ecosystems at risk.
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Lush cold-water coral gardens thrive along seamounts, supporting diverse marine life, from fish to whales. But bottom trawling crushes these delicate habitats with each pass. Protecting seamounts would safeguard these centuries-old ecosystems.
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Crucial to marine ecosystems, they migrate long distances through the open ocean between feeding grounds and hatching beaches. But as they travel vast distances to nest, they’re often ensnared by industrial longliners, as accidental by catch.
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Pushed to the brink by overfishing, the orange roughy is a slow-growing fish that can live up to 200 years. These endangered fish gather around the rich waters of seamounts, where destructive bottom trawlers directly target them.
Stop the destruction. help create an ocean sanctuary now
Every day we wait, brutal industrial fishing like bottom trawling is tearing apart the Tasman Sea’s fragile ecosystems. Ancient coral gardens are reduced to rubble, marine life like dolphins and sharks are dying and rare and declining species like humpback whales are under threat – all in the relentless pursuit of profit.
The Global Ocean Treaty is a lifeline, but only if we act now. Together we can call on the Australian Government to use this treaty to help create an ocean sanctuary in the Tasman Sea before it’s too late.
This sanctuary will stop the destruction, save irreplaceable habitats, and shield endangered species from extinction.
Donate now to stop bottom trawling and protect these hidden treasures before they’re lost forever.
"I'm looking forward to creating a thriving ocean sanctuary between Australia and New Zealand, and knowing that we protected it for future generations"
Violette Snow, Senior Oceans Campaigner