Latest news with #UnitedNationsOceansConference
Indian Express
13-06-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Daily subject-wise quiz : Environment and Geography MCQs on Banas River, United Nations Ocean Conference 2025 and more (Week 114)
UPSC Essentials brings to you its initiative of subject-wise quizzes. These quizzes are designed to help you revise some of the most important topics from the static part of the syllabus. Attempt today's subject quiz on Environment and Geography to check your progress. 🚨 Click Here to read the UPSC Essentials magazine for May 2025. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at With reference to the High Seas Treaty, consider the following statements: 1. The treaty deals only with oceans that are outside the national jurisdiction of any country. 2. Its objective is to demarcate marine protected areas (MPAs), rather like there are protected forests or wildlife areas. 3. India has not signed the High Seas Treaty. 4. The aim of the treaty aligns with Sustainable Development Goal-10. How many of the statements given above are correct? (a) Only one (b) Only two (c) Only three (d) All four Explanation — At the United Nations Oceans Conference (UNOC) in Nice, France, India announced that it is currently in the process of ratifying the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) agreement, also known as the high seas treaty, and reaffirmed its commitment to conserving and using oceans sustainably, as outlined in Sustainable Development Goal-14. Hence, statement 4 is not correct. — India signed an important international agreement called the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, or the High Seas Treaty at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 25, 2024. Hence, statement 3 is not correct. — The high seas cover 64% of the ocean surface and approximately 43% of the Earth. These habitats are home to around 2.2 million marine species and trillions of microbes. They belong to no one, and everyone has equal rights to navigation, overflight, economic operations, scientific research, and the installation of infrastructure such as underwater cables. — The convention, signed in March 2023, only applies to oceans that are not under any country's jurisdiction. Hence, statement 1 is correct. Objectives of the High Seas Treaty (i) Demarcation of marine protected areas (MPAs), rather like there are protected forests or wildlife areas; Hence, statement 2 is correct. (ii) Sustainable use of marine genetic resources and equitable sharing of benefits arising from them; (iii) Initiation of the practice of environmental impact assessments for all major activities in the oceans; and (iv) Capacity building and technology transfer. — The treaty makes it mandatory to carry out a prior environmental impact assessment (EIA) for any activity that is potentially polluting or damaging to the marine ecosystems, or to conservation efforts. Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer. (Read more: Knowledge nugget of the day: High Seas Treaty) With reference to the Banas River, consider the following statements: 1. The Banas River Basin is located in the western part of Rajasthan. 2. It is bounded in the east by Chambal river basin and in the north by Gambhir and Banganga river basins. 3. It is a tributary of the Luni River. 4. The entire length of the river flows through Rajasthan only. How many of the statements given above are correct? (a) Only one (b) Only two (c) Only three (d) All four Explanation — Eight men drowned in the Banas river in Rajasthan's Tonk district, police said. About Banas River — The Banas River Basin is located in eastern Rajasthan and covers a substantial area to the east of the Aravali mountain range. Hence, statement 1 is not correct. — It is bordered in the east by the Chambal river basin, in the north by the Gambhir and Banganga river basins, in the west by the Shekhawati and Luni river basins, and in the south by the Sabarmati and Mahi river basins. It feeds into the Chambal River, which then flows into the Yamuna. Hence, statement 2 is correct. — The Banas River originates in the Khamnor Hills of the Aravali Range, approximately 5 km from Kumbhalgarh in Rajsamand District, and runs entirely through Rajasthan. Hence, statement 4 is correct. — It flows northeast through Rajasthan's Mewar area, eventually meeting the Chambal River near the village of Rameshwar in Khandar Block, Sawai Madhopur District. Hence, statement 3 is not correct. Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer. (Other Source: South Lhonak Lake was in the news due to a devastating flood in the Teesta River. The lake is located in: (a) Sikkim (b) Arunachal Pradesh (c) Assam (d) West Bengal Explanation — Scientific studies have long demonstrated that climate change is causing Himalayan glaciers to melt at an unprecedented rate, affecting water resources, agriculture, and livelihoods. — 'Global warming is causing Himalayan glaciers to deplete, resulting in the formation of artificial lakes known as GLOFs. When they burst, they cause mayhem. In October 2023, a flood generated by South Lhonak Lake in Sikkim devastated the Teesta River valley. It wrecked the Teesta III hydroelectric dam and caused widespread damage,' says Guman Singh, an environmental activist and coordinator for Himalaya Niti Abhiyan, a grassroots organisation calling for a sustainable, mountain-specific development model in the Himalayas. Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer. With reference to the tardigrades, which of the statements given above is/are correct? 1. They are also known as 'water bears'. 2. They have survived all five major mass extinction events that have taken place. 3. They can be found only in the deepest oceans. Select the correct answer using the codes given below: (a) 1 only (b) 2 and 3 only (c) 1 and 2 only (d) 1, 2 and 3 Explanation — One of the scientific investigations astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will do during his two-week stay on the International Space Station (ISS) is to investigate the recovery, survival, and reproduction of tardigrades in space. — Tardigrades, sometimes known as 'water bears,' are muscular aquatic animals that have existed for around 600 million years, 400 million years before dinosaurs roamed the earth. They have survived all five main mass extinction events that have occurred so far, and scientists anticipate they will be around long after humanity has been wiped out. Hence, statements 1 and 2 are correct. — Tardigrades are typically around 0.5 mm long when fully grown, with four pairs of legs and 4-6 claws on each foot. They also have a unique mouth that allows them to extract nutrients from plant cells, algae, and other tiny invertebrates. — Tardigrades can be found practically anywhere, including the highest mountains and the deepest oceans. Their most common habitat, however, is the thin film of water found on mosses and lichens, earning these critters the nickname 'moss piglets'. Hence, statement 3 is not correct. Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer. Scientists made a surprising discovery — a mushroom growing out of the side of the frog, in the: (a) Western Ghats (b) Andaman and Nicobar Islands (c) Barak Valley (d) Eastern Himalayas Explanation — Scientists uncovered an unexpected find in India's Western Ghats foothills: a mushroom growing out of the side of a frog. This is the first time a mushroom has been witnessed growing from a living organism. — On June 19, 2023, the researchers discovered several 'Rao's Golden-backed frogs' in a rainwater-fed pond on the roadside in the foothills of the Kudremukha mountains near Mala, Karkala, Karnataka. However, one of the frogs appeared to have a white growth on the right side of its body. As it turned out, that was a mushroom growing from a live frog. — The frog was not taken; rather, the researchers photographed it and described it in a note published in the journal Reptiles and Amphibians. Fungus experts who examined the photographs identified the white growth as a Bonnet mushroom, which often grows on dead and rotting wood. — There are numerous fungi that form symbiotic relationships with other creatures. Some are parasitic, causing illnesses such as mucormycosis, sometimes known as 'black fungus.' The Independent, however, reports that this is the first time a fungus has been seen growing on a living organism. Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer. With reference to the United Nations Ocean Conference 2025, consider the following statements. 1. France and Colombia are co-organizing the Conference. 2. The overarching theme of the Conference is 'Accelerating action and mobilizing all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean' 3. This is the first ever Conference on Ocean by the United Nations. Which of the statements given above is/are true? (a) 1 and 2 only (b) 1 only (c) 2 only (d) 1, 2 and 3 only Explanation — France and Costa Rica are co-organizing the 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice from June 9 to 13, 2025. The overarching theme of the Conference is 'Accelerating action and mobilizing all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean.' Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer (Source: Consider the following statements: 1. It is inhabited by the world's largest population of one-horned rhinoceroses. 2. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 3. The Endangered Ganges dolphin is found in some of the closed oxbow lakes of this site. Which is the site that the above statements indicate? (a) Khangchendzonga National Park (b) Keoladeo National Park (c) Kaziranga National Park (d) Manas Wildlife Sanctuary Explanation According to UNESCO World Heritage Convention: — 'Kaziranga National Park represents one of the last unmodified natural areas in the north-eastern region of India. Covering 42,996 ha, and located in the State of Assam it is the single largest undisturbed and representative area in the Brahmaputra Valley floodplain…The park's contribution in saving the Indian one-horned rhinoceros from the brink of extinction at the turn of the 20th century to harbouring the single largest population of this species is a spectacular conservation achievement. The property also harbours significant populations of other threatened species including tigers, elephants, wild water buffalo and bears as well as aquatic species including the Ganges River dolphin.' Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer. The biography titled 'The Man Who Fed the World' is based on the life and achievements of which of the following internationally renowned figures? (a). Norman Borlaug (b). (c). Lester R. Brown (d). Rachel Carson Explanation — 'The Man Who Fed the World: Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Norman Borlaug and His Battle to End World Hunger' is a biography written by Leon Hesser. Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer. Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 114) Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 114) Daily subject-wise quiz — Science and Technology (Week 114) Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 114) Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment and Geography (Week 113) Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 113) Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter and stay updated with the news cues from the past week. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X. Manas Srivastava is currently working as Senior Copy Editor with The Indian Express (digital) and leads a unique initiative of IE - UPSC Essentials. He majorly writes on UPSC, other competitive exams and education-related projects. In the past, Manas has represented India at the G-20 Youth Summit in Mexico. He is a former member of the Youth Council, GOI. A two-time topper/gold medallist in History (both in graduation and post-graduation) from Delhi University, he has mentored and taught UPSC aspirants for more than four years. His diverse role in The Indian Express consists of writing, editing, anchoring/ hosting, interviewing experts, and curating and simplifying news for the benefit of students. He hosts the YouTube talk show called 'Art and Culture with Devdutt Pattanaik' and a LIVE series on Instagram and YouTube called 'You Ask We Answer'.His talks on 'How to read a newspaper' focus on newspaper reading as an essential habit for students. His articles and videos aim at finding solutions to the general queries of students and hence he believes in being students' editor, preparing them not just for any exam but helping them to become informed citizens. This is where he makes his teaching profession meet journalism. He is also the editor of UPSC Essentials' monthly magazine for the aspirants. He is a recipient of the Dip Chand Memorial Award, the Lala Ram Mohan Prize and Prof. Papiya Ghosh Memorial Prize for academic excellence. He was also awarded the University's Post-Graduate Scholarship for pursuing M.A. in History where he chose to specialise in Ancient India due to his keen interest in Archaeology. He has also successfully completed a Certificate course on Women's Studies by the Women's Studies Development Centre, DU. As a part of N.S.S in the past, Manas has worked with national and international organisations and has shown keen interest and active participation in Social Service. He has led and been a part of projects involving areas such as gender sensitisation, persons with disability, helping slum dwellers, environment, adopting our heritage programme. He has also presented a case study on 'Psychological stress among students' at ICSQCC- Sri Lanka. As a compere for seminars and other events he likes to keep his orating hobby alive. His interests also lie in International Relations, Governance, Social issues, Essays and poetry. ... Read More
Scoop
11-06-2025
- General
- Scoop
Protected Corals Destroyed In Six-Tonne Bycatch 'Disaster' From A Single Bottom Trawl
Press Release – Joint Media Statement Environmentalists are describing the incident as a stark reminder of the horrors of bottom trawling and are renewing calls for the destructive fishing method to be banned on seamounts and other vital deep sea habitats. Key points: 6 tonnes of bycatch, mostly stony coral, was dragged up in a single bottom trawl last year Around the weight of a male African elephant, the heaviest land mammal on earth. Stony corals (Scleractinia species) are reef-building corals of the deep sea around Aotearoa. Stony corals are protected species under the New Zealand Wildlife Act. Deep sea corals are particularly found on seamounts and similar features. Reef-building corals provide critical habitat for many other deep sea species. If it happened in international waters, the area would've been closed immediately. BREAKING: It's been revealed that a New Zealand bottom trawling vessel has pulled up six tonnes of protected stony coral in a single trawl – making it the worst reported case of coral destruction in New Zealand waters in over a decade. Environmentalists are describing the incident as 'a stark reminder of the horrors of bottom trawling' and are renewing calls for the destructive fishing method to be banned on seamounts and other vital deep sea habitats. The stony coral, which is a critical reef building coral and protected in New Zealand, was pulled up by an unnamed trawler towards the end of the 2024 while it was fishing on the Chatham Rise, a large underwater plateau with seamounts and a diverse range of ocean life, off the South Island's east coast. The data was released by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) only after an official information request by the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition (DSCC) and is the largest reported coral bycatch since a similar incident in 2008. Karli Thomas from the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, who's at the United Nations Oceans Conference (UNOC) in France, says the incident is 'a disaster for deep sea corals' and is 'truly heartbreaking'. Reef building corals, like stony corals, are slow growing and can live for thousands of years. Coral reefs in the deep sea provide critical habitats for a variety of deep sea life. 'If this incident had happened in the international waters of the South Pacific, the area would have been immediately closed to trawling. Coral must be protected if we want healthy and thriving ocean ecosystems and this latest coral bycatch is a reminder of how destructive bottom trawling is – and why it must be banned from ancient and fragile deep sea habitats' says Thomas. Thomas noted that NZ trawlers destroy huge amounts of coral every year, with the fleet reporting tonnes of coral bycatch annually: it 22/3 the observer-reported amount of coral bycatch from trawlers was over six tonnes – but only 22% of trawls were covered by observers. Dr Kayla Kingdon-Bebb, Chief Executive of WWF-New Zealand, is also on the ground at UNOC and says this incident further underscores the absurdity and unsavouriness of Seafood New Zealand's recent greenwashing of the widespread reliance on bottom-trawling in Aotearoa's commercial fisheries. 'If people were horrified by the bottom-trawling depicted in Sir David Attenborough's new Ocean film, then they will be shocked to know that some of what takes place in Aotearoa is actually far worse than that footage. These images of a trawl net bursting with tonnes of bulldozed corals speak for themselves.' While MPI is attempting to argue the bycatch was a mix of natural and dead coral – and mud – Barry Weeber from ECO calls this 'disingenuous'. 'There is no way that official coral bycatch would be registered in the data with mud making up part of that weight. There are separate codes for an observer to record non-biological material on vessels and MPI reports the bycatch on their public database as corals, not corals and mud. The government spin that this catch is half mud is simply ludicrous and reeks of an industry-captured government department defending the indefensible. The image they provided doesn't show any mud at all.' Weeber says that mud making up a significant portion of the catch seems unlikely given the towing speed and having to retrieve a net from nearly 1km down: any mud would be washed out of the net. He also noted dead coral was an important part of the ecosystem. The release of the coral bycatch information comes as the New Zealand government is attending UNOC. One of the issues that will be discussed is a global fund for coral reef conservation, to which Foreign Minister Winston Peters has pledged NZD $16.2 million (USD $10 million). 'It's deeply ironic that the New Zealand government is internationally promoting coral conservation while wholesale coral destruction like this continues in our waters, and bottom trawlers are still allowed to trawl on seamounts and features – areas we know are hotspots for protected corals,' said Karli Thomas. Greenpeace spokesperson Ellie Hooper says Greenpeace witnessed the kind of destruction caused by trawlers in the deep sea first hand, during a seamount expedition in March where deep sea cameras were used to survey the seafloor, including in intensively trawled areas. 'What we saw was shocking; hours and hours of footage of lifeless fragmented and broken coral – a coral graveyard in the deep. The bottom trawling industry has gotten away with this kind of destruction in the waters of Aotearoa and the South Pacific for too long. Trawling causes indiscriminate damage to these vital habitats. It's indefensible and it must stop.' Environmental groups have repeatedly called on the New Zealand government to ban bottom trawling on seamounts and other areas where protected corals are known to occur, and to stop issuing permits to New Zealand vessels to bottom trawl on seamounts in international waters. New Zealand is the only country with vessels still bottom trawling seamounts in the South Pacific high seas. Note: The NZ Ministry of Primary Industries released information on 29 May 2025 in response to an OIA request of 19 March, for information and images of any incidents of benthic fishery bycatch of 500 kilograms or more in the last 12 months. [OIA available on request] The critical part of their response was: 'In the previous 12 months, there has only been one trawl bycatch event for protected benthic species over 500kg. Reported in the October to December 2024 quarter is a single capture of a reported 6,000 kg of stony coral on the Chatham Rise. Initial identification has confirmed the coral as a stony coral, and that the capture was likely to include a mix of live and dead coral, and mud. Identification will be confirmed as part of an ongoing project to identify observer samples. Further information reported by the fisher and the on-board observer indicate that the trawl net missed the intended previously trawled area.' The relevant data from the MPI quarterly reporting (which combines all trawls of this area, so will include other coral bycatch by trawlers in FMA4 over the period Oct-Dec 2024) can be found here: Non-fish and protected species caught by commercial fishers Fishing Year: 24-25 Quarter: 1 (that means, sometime in the period October-December 2024) Fishing Area: FMA4 South-East (Chatham Rise) Method: Trawl Protected species: Cnidaria Species code: COU – True Coral (Unidentified) Weight: 6,163.24 kilograms (over 6 tonnes) *Note this includes other coral bycatch in this area in this 3-month period, as well as the individual 6 tonne bycatch incident.
Scoop
11-06-2025
- General
- Scoop
Protected Corals Destroyed In Six-Tonne Bycatch 'Disaster' From A Single Bottom Trawl
Press Release – Joint Media Statement Environmentalists are describing the incident as a stark reminder of the horrors of bottom trawling and are renewing calls for the destructive fishing method to be banned on seamounts and other vital deep sea habitats. Key points: 6 tonnes of bycatch, mostly stony coral, was dragged up in a single bottom trawl last year Around the weight of a male African elephant, the heaviest land mammal on earth. Stony corals (Scleractinia species) are reef-building corals of the deep sea around Aotearoa. Stony corals are protected species under the New Zealand Wildlife Act. Deep sea corals are particularly found on seamounts and similar features. Reef-building corals provide critical habitat for many other deep sea species. If it happened in international waters, the area would've been closed immediately. BREAKING: It's been revealed that a New Zealand bottom trawling vessel has pulled up six tonnes of protected stony coral in a single trawl – making it the worst reported case of coral destruction in New Zealand waters in over a decade. Environmentalists are describing the incident as 'a stark reminder of the horrors of bottom trawling' and are renewing calls for the destructive fishing method to be banned on seamounts and other vital deep sea habitats. The stony coral, which is a critical reef building coral and protected in New Zealand, was pulled up by an unnamed trawler towards the end of the 2024 while it was fishing on the Chatham Rise, a large underwater plateau with seamounts and a diverse range of ocean life, off the South Island's east coast. The data was released by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) only after an official information request by the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition (DSCC) and is the largest reported coral bycatch since a similar incident in 2008. Karli Thomas from the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, who's at the United Nations Oceans Conference (UNOC) in France, says the incident is 'a disaster for deep sea corals' and is 'truly heartbreaking'. Reef building corals, like stony corals, are slow growing and can live for thousands of years. Coral reefs in the deep sea provide critical habitats for a variety of deep sea life. 'If this incident had happened in the international waters of the South Pacific, the area would have been immediately closed to trawling. Coral must be protected if we want healthy and thriving ocean ecosystems and this latest coral bycatch is a reminder of how destructive bottom trawling is – and why it must be banned from ancient and fragile deep sea habitats' says Thomas. Thomas noted that NZ trawlers destroy huge amounts of coral every year, with the fleet reporting tonnes of coral bycatch annually: it 22/3 the observer-reported amount of coral bycatch from trawlers was over six tonnes – but only 22% of trawls were covered by observers. Dr Kayla Kingdon-Bebb, Chief Executive of WWF-New Zealand, is also on the ground at UNOC and says this incident further underscores the absurdity and unsavouriness of Seafood New Zealand's recent greenwashing of the widespread reliance on bottom-trawling in Aotearoa's commercial fisheries. 'If people were horrified by the bottom-trawling depicted in Sir David Attenborough's new Ocean film, then they will be shocked to know that some of what takes place in Aotearoa is actually far worse than that footage. These images of a trawl net bursting with tonnes of bulldozed corals speak for themselves.' While MPI is attempting to argue the bycatch was a mix of natural and dead coral – and mud – Barry Weeber from ECO calls this 'disingenuous'. 'There is no way that official coral bycatch would be registered in the data with mud making up part of that weight. There are separate codes for an observer to record non-biological material on vessels and MPI reports the bycatch on their public database as corals, not corals and mud. The government spin that this catch is half mud is simply ludicrous and reeks of an industry-captured government department defending the indefensible. The image they provided doesn't show any mud at all.' Weeber says that mud making up a significant portion of the catch seems unlikely given the towing speed and having to retrieve a net from nearly 1km down: any mud would be washed out of the net. He also noted dead coral was an important part of the ecosystem. The release of the coral bycatch information comes as the New Zealand government is attending UNOC. One of the issues that will be discussed is a global fund for coral reef conservation, to which Foreign Minister Winston Peters has pledged NZD $16.2 million (USD $10 million). 'It's deeply ironic that the New Zealand government is internationally promoting coral conservation while wholesale coral destruction like this continues in our waters, and bottom trawlers are still allowed to trawl on seamounts and features – areas we know are hotspots for protected corals,' said Karli Thomas. Greenpeace spokesperson Ellie Hooper says Greenpeace witnessed the kind of destruction caused by trawlers in the deep sea first hand, during a seamount expedition in March where deep sea cameras were used to survey the seafloor, including in intensively trawled areas. 'What we saw was shocking; hours and hours of footage of lifeless fragmented and broken coral – a coral graveyard in the deep. The bottom trawling industry has gotten away with this kind of destruction in the waters of Aotearoa and the South Pacific for too long. Trawling causes indiscriminate damage to these vital habitats. It's indefensible and it must stop.' Environmental groups have repeatedly called on the New Zealand government to ban bottom trawling on seamounts and other areas where protected corals are known to occur, and to stop issuing permits to New Zealand vessels to bottom trawl on seamounts in international waters. New Zealand is the only country with vessels still bottom trawling seamounts in the South Pacific high seas. Note: The NZ Ministry of Primary Industries released information on 29 May 2025 in response to an OIA request of 19 March, for information and images of any incidents of benthic fishery bycatch of 500 kilograms or more in the last 12 months. [OIA available on request] The critical part of their response was: 'In the previous 12 months, there has only been one trawl bycatch event for protected benthic species over 500kg. Reported in the October to December 2024 quarter is a single capture of a reported 6,000 kg of stony coral on the Chatham Rise. Initial identification has confirmed the coral as a stony coral, and that the capture was likely to include a mix of live and dead coral, and mud. Identification will be confirmed as part of an ongoing project to identify observer samples. Further information reported by the fisher and the on-board observer indicate that the trawl net missed the intended previously trawled area.' The relevant data from the MPI quarterly reporting (which combines all trawls of this area, so will include other coral bycatch by trawlers in FMA4 over the period Oct-Dec 2024) can be found here: Non-fish and protected species caught by commercial fishers Fishing Year: 24-25 Quarter: 1 (that means, sometime in the period October-December 2024) Fishing Area: FMA4 South-East (Chatham Rise) Method: Trawl Protected species: Cnidaria Species code: COU – True Coral (Unidentified) Weight: 6,163.24 kilograms (over 6 tonnes) *Note this includes other coral bycatch in this area in this 3-month period, as well as the individual 6 tonne bycatch incident.
Scoop
11-06-2025
- General
- Scoop
Protected Corals Destroyed In Six-Tonne Bycatch 'Disaster' From A Single Bottom Trawl
Key points: 6 tonnes of bycatch, mostly stony coral, was dragged up in a single bottom trawl last year Around the weight of a male African elephant, the heaviest land mammal on earth. Stony corals (Scleractinia species) are reef-building corals of the deep sea around Aotearoa. Stony corals are protected species under the New Zealand Wildlife Act. Deep sea corals are particularly found on seamounts and similar features. Reef-building corals provide critical habitat for many other deep sea species. If it happened in international waters, the area would've been closed immediately. BREAKING: It's been revealed that a New Zealand bottom trawling vessel has pulled up six tonnes of protected stony coral in a single trawl - making it the worst reported case of coral destruction in New Zealand waters in over a decade. Environmentalists are describing the incident as 'a stark reminder of the horrors of bottom trawling' and are renewing calls for the destructive fishing method to be banned on seamounts and other vital deep sea habitats. The stony coral, which is a critical reef building coral and protected in New Zealand, was pulled up by an unnamed trawler towards the end of the 2024 while it was fishing on the Chatham Rise, a large underwater plateau with seamounts and a diverse range of ocean life, off the South Island's east coast. The data was released by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) only after an official information request by the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition (DSCC) and is the largest reported coral bycatch since a similar incident in 2008. Karli Thomas from the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, who's at the United Nations Oceans Conference (UNOC) in France, says the incident is 'a disaster for deep sea corals' and is 'truly heartbreaking'. Reef building corals, like stony corals, are slow growing and can live for thousands of years. Coral reefs in the deep sea provide critical habitats for a variety of deep sea life. 'If this incident had happened in the international waters of the South Pacific, the area would have been immediately closed to trawling. Coral must be protected if we want healthy and thriving ocean ecosystems and this latest coral bycatch is a reminder of how destructive bottom trawling is - and why it must be banned from ancient and fragile deep sea habitats' says Thomas. Thomas noted that NZ trawlers destroy huge amounts of coral every year, with the fleet reporting tonnes of coral bycatch annually: it 22/3 the observer-reported amount of coral bycatch from trawlers was over six tonnes - but only 22% of trawls were covered by observers. Dr Kayla Kingdon-Bebb, Chief Executive of WWF-New Zealand, is also on the ground at UNOC and says this incident further underscores the absurdity and unsavouriness of Seafood New Zealand's recent greenwashing of the widespread reliance on bottom-trawling in Aotearoa's commercial fisheries. 'If people were horrified by the bottom-trawling depicted in Sir David Attenborough's new Ocean film, then they will be shocked to know that some of what takes place in Aotearoa is actually far worse than that footage. These images of a trawl net bursting with tonnes of bulldozed corals speak for themselves.' While MPI is attempting to argue the bycatch was a mix of natural and dead coral - and mud - Barry Weeber from ECO calls this 'disingenuous'. 'There is no way that official coral bycatch would be registered in the data with mud making up part of that weight. There are separate codes for an observer to record non-biological material on vessels and MPI reports the bycatch on their public database as corals, not corals and mud. The government spin that this catch is half mud is simply ludicrous and reeks of an industry-captured government department defending the indefensible. The image they provided doesn't show any mud at all.' Weeber says that mud making up a significant portion of the catch seems unlikely given the towing speed and having to retrieve a net from nearly 1km down: any mud would be washed out of the net. He also noted dead coral was an important part of the ecosystem. The release of the coral bycatch information comes as the New Zealand government is attending UNOC. One of the issues that will be discussed is a global fund for coral reef conservation, to which Foreign Minister Winston Peters has pledged NZD $16.2 million (USD $10 million). 'It's deeply ironic that the New Zealand government is internationally promoting coral conservation while wholesale coral destruction like this continues in our waters, and bottom trawlers are still allowed to trawl on seamounts and features - areas we know are hotspots for protected corals,' said Karli Thomas. Greenpeace spokesperson Ellie Hooper says Greenpeace witnessed the kind of destruction caused by trawlers in the deep sea first hand, during a seamount expedition in March where deep sea cameras were used to survey the seafloor, including in intensively trawled areas. 'What we saw was shocking; hours and hours of footage of lifeless fragmented and broken coral - a coral graveyard in the deep. The bottom trawling industry has gotten away with this kind of destruction in the waters of Aotearoa and the South Pacific for too long. Trawling causes indiscriminate damage to these vital habitats. It's indefensible and it must stop.' Environmental groups have repeatedly called on the New Zealand government to ban bottom trawling on seamounts and other areas where protected corals are known to occur, and to stop issuing permits to New Zealand vessels to bottom trawl on seamounts in international waters. New Zealand is the only country with vessels still bottom trawling seamounts in the South Pacific high seas. Note: The NZ Ministry of Primary Industries released information on 29 May 2025 in response to an OIA request of 19 March, for information and images of any incidents of benthic fishery bycatch of 500 kilograms or more in the last 12 months. [OIA available on request] The critical part of their response was: 'In the previous 12 months, there has only been one trawl bycatch event for protected benthic species over 500kg. Reported in the October to December 2024 quarter is a single capture of a reported 6,000 kg of stony coral on the Chatham Rise. Initial identification has confirmed the coral as a stony coral, and that the capture was likely to include a mix of live and dead coral, and mud. Identification will be confirmed as part of an ongoing project to identify observer samples. Further information reported by the fisher and the on-board observer indicate that the trawl net missed the intended previously trawled area.' The relevant data from the MPI quarterly reporting (which combines all trawls of this area, so will include other coral bycatch by trawlers in FMA4 over the period Oct-Dec 2024) can be found here: Non-fish and protected species caught by commercial fishers Fishing Year: 24-25 Quarter: 1 (that means, sometime in the period October-December 2024) Fishing Area: FMA4 South-East (Chatham Rise) Method: Trawl Protected species: Cnidaria Species code: COU - True Coral (Unidentified) Weight: 6,163.24 kilograms (over 6 tonnes) *Note this includes other coral bycatch in this area in this 3-month period, as well as the individual 6 tonne bycatch incident.
Indian Express
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
India in the process of ratifying high seas treaty: Union MoS Jitendra Singh
India said Tuesday that it is currently in the process of ratifying the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) agreement, also known as the high seas treaty and reaffirmed its commitment to conserve and use oceans sustainably, as laid down in Sustainable Development Goal-14 at the United Nations Oceans Conference (UNOC) at Nice, France. Union MoS (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences, Jitendra Singh put forth India's statement at the conference and spelt out India's proposed six-point strategic initiatives for 'clean and healthy oceans'. He said India's efforts will align with the theme of Ocean Action Panel-4, which focuses on preventing marine pollution from land based sources. He said India supports the Nice ocean action panels which prioritises actionable outcomes, innovative financing and inclusive partnerships for achieving SDG. 'India has already signed the biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction agreement and is currently in the process of ratification. This underscores our commitment to conserving marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction,' he said.
