1. fish farms 2. breeding sea horses for human consumption

[Guest guest]

The European Cetacean Bycatch Campaign is totally opposed to ALL fish

farms for the following reasons -

 

The fish are kept in terrible, cramped conditions, as they are

intensively farmed; they are continually injected, starved for 7-10

days before being killed, and invariably killed in an inhumane way.

The CIWF report is a damning indictment of fish farms. (e-mail us for

a copy)

 

In order to provide fish meal for these fish, industrial ships catch

millions of tons of pelagic species. These fish die horribly, the

majority of them dying as a result of burst swim bladders. Those

still alive when dumped aboard the vessels, are gutted whilst alive.

 

These vessels are notorious for high levels of cetacean bycatch. As

time is money, if a cetacean is found in the nets, tail flukes and

pectoral fins are hacked off, and the animals are decapitated in

order to remove them from the net. Their bodies are punctured in an

attempt to make them sink - to hide the evidence. These barbaric

practices are carried out regardless of whether the animal is alive

or dead - post-mortem results have shown this to be the case.

We have evidence that levels of cetacean bycatch caused by EU fleets

fishing in the waters off W Africa, are even worse than in EU waters.

 

These vessels are also depriving cetaceans of their prey, and we are

seeing an increasing number of cetaceans stranding due to starvation.

 

The pollution from fish farms is destroying the marine environment,

destroying wild populations of fish and is causing concern re. human

health.

 

Adults have the choice to be vegan or vegetarian - to eat fish or

not. However, millions of children have no choice. They eat what

they're given. If they eat farmed fish, they are ingesting a cocktail

of toxins which have been linked to cancer, disruption of the

endocrine system and a number of other hateful diseases. Some adults

suffering with certain medical conditions, including problems during

pregnancy, are advised to eat oily fish, including salmon, and are

unaware that there are alternatives to fish products. They are told

that farmed fish is healthy !!!

 

Communities and habitats in the " Third World " are being devasted in

order to build fish farms to provide consumers in the " First World "

with farmed fish and crustaceans.

 

On October many groups throughout the UK, mainland Europe, US and

Canada will be demonstrating outside supermarkets. There will also be

a letter writing campaign.

 

To date, in the UK, supermarkets will be targeted in Aberdeen,

Glasgow, Edinburgh, Inverness, Oxford, London, Dublin, plus around 80

other towns, villages and cities which include Aberfeldy, Aultbea,

Aberwstyth, Avoch, Ayr, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Bishopbriggs, Blackburn,

Boat of Garten, BognarRegis, Bowling, Bristol, Broadford, Bury,

Camborne, Castleton, Chelmsford, Chepstow, Clydebank, Colinsbugh,

Colne, Darlington, Dover, Dumfries, Dumbarton, Dunfermline, Elgin,

Fort William, Gairloch, Grantown on Spey, Guisburn, Forfar,Hamilton,

Harrow, Keighly, Kirkwall, Kirriemuir, Lerwick,Langholm,

Leicester,Manningtree, Milngavie, Morcambe, Muir of Ord, Nelson,

Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Newport, Newton Stewart, Peebles, Penicuik,

Pershore, Pontefract, Portree, Plymouth, Reading,Runcorn, Rutherglen,

St Asaph, Salisbury, Sheffield, Skipton, Sonning, Stirling,

Stromness, Swindon, Telford, Tetsworth, Thurso, Troon, Ullapool,

Waterville, Westerfield, Wick, Widnes, Woodbridge and York.

 

If you can support these demonstrations, stage your own, or write to

supermarkets, politicians, consumer organisartions, we would be very

grateful.

 

LATEST NEWS - A COMPANY IN IRELAND IS TO FARM SEAHORSES FOR HUMAN

CONSUMPTION

A company based in Co Galway, Ireland intends to farm seahorses for

commercial supply to the aquarium and traditional Chinese medicine

trades. It is already supplying public aquariums in Ireland.

Seahorse Ireland Ltd (Eachuisce Eireann Teo) states that Ireland's

two native seahorse species perfectly meet the market requirements

for both the Asian medicinal and global aquarium trades. Given their

high commercial value and 'almost insatiable market demand', the

company is culturing eight species of seahorse, including the two

native species, as 'non-food aquatic products'.

 

The concerns of the Marine Work Group are summarised in a 22-page

report ( " Seahorse farming: commerce or conservation? " ) available on

the Marine Work Group website at:

http://www.mwg.utvinternet.com/redalert_seahorses.html

 

The full report can be downloaded (Word file 160 Kb) directly

from: http://www.mwg.utvinternet.com/downloads/Red%20Alert%20

(seahorse%20farming).doc

or as Zip file of the same (63 Kb) from:

http://www.mwg.utvinternet.com/downloads/seahorse.zip

 

If you are in a position to publicise this matter, please do so. If

you have any questions, please contact :

 

Andy Scollick

Friends of Irish Seahorses

c/o Marine Work Group

Kiltykare, Grange

Co. Sligo, Ireland

Email: seahorses

MWG Web: www.mwg.utvinternet.com

 

Kind regards,

Mary Stuart

 

EUROPEAN CETACEAN BYCATCH CAMPAIGN

cetaceanbycatchcampaign