Monday, 10th November 2008
Speech to IUCN World Conservation Congress
Let me first of all congratulate the skippers and crews of all the ships who have participated in this fantastic event - 'Sailing to Barcelona'. Your active participation has driven home the message in a spectacular way, that our oceans, seas and coasts are not a resource to be mindlessly exploited, but a dynamic feature of our global ecosystem that deserve our respect, protection and conservation.
Maritime interests cover a wide range of sectors and affect the lives and occupations of hundreds of millions. But all this maritime activity comes at a cost. Shipping contributes to CO2 emissions and to marine pollution. Environmental pollution of the seas arising from agricultural run-off, sewage or industrial effluents, or indeed litter, in particular plastic litter, which can choke sea mammals, turtles and birds, is also an increasing hazard.
But we rely on our maritime resources for more than trade. Our seas are a source of food, energy, minerals and recreation. If we are to realise the vision of clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse oceans and seas then we have to implement a management plan that aims for sustainability in every area, including fishing.
Currently, scientists tell us that no fewer than sixteen major stocks of fish in EU waters are under threat of collapse. This is completely unacceptable. Globally there are far too many fishermen chasing too few fish.
We cannot allow the disgraceful by-catch and discards problem to continue. In a world where 850 million people are starving, it is a shocking indictment of our system of fisheries management that over one million tonnes of healthy fish is being thrown back, dead, into the sea every year in Europe alone. The by-catch depredation of marine mammals, seabirds and turtles is an abhorrence that must be stopped.
The sea is also an important climate regulator. Tackling climate change must be top of the political priority list.
So we have a great challenge ahead of us. We have been blessed by a fantastic global maritime resource which our ancestors used to build the modern world. Mankind has reached an important turning point. We have developed technological skills which could enable us to exploit our oceans and seas to exhaustion, degrading the environment and wrecking maritime ecosystems. Or we can put these skills to use in conserving and protecting this unique resource. Those who sailed today to Barcelona have set the world on the right course.
