Alex Trelinski
A five-metre high rubber shark was hung by Greenpeace protestors outside a government ministry in Spain on Wednesday to coincide with UN World Oceans Day.
Activists scaled the gates to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in Madrid and erected the shark in front of the entrance.
They also hung reused fishing nets, that along with the shark, represent the 100 million specimens that die each year and the ‘hundreds of thousands that Spain catch each year in international waters’.
The Greenpeace protestors unfurled several banners proclaiming that ‘Oceans without sharks are scary’ and ‘Minister, protect the oceans and not your businesses’.
Greenpeace believe that a Global Ocean Treaty is needed to stop shark fishing, as any accidental capture of a shark is not regulated.
The UN begins talks on trying to negotiate such a treaty start in August.
Greenpeace spokesman, Pilar Marcos, said: “If the Ministry of Fisheries wants to maintain the status quo and defend the interest of a few gentlemen of the marine business, there is not much to celebrate on World Oceans Day and the disappearance of emblematic species will take place in the like life sharks”.
World Oceans Day reminds people of the major role the oceans have in everyday life.
The UN describes them as the ‘lungs of our planet’ and a major source of food and medicine and a critical part of the biosphere.
The purpose of the Day is to inform people of the impact of human actions on the ocean and develop a worldwide movement for the sustainable management of the world’s oceans.
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