John Hocevar, from Greenpeace’s flagship the Rainbow Warrior, writes about the assault on the Greenpeace staff blog:

“We are in Valletta Harbor in Malta. We learned that there were two vessels here owned by Fuentes, the tuna tycoon who controls over half the bluefin catch in the Mediterranean. We decided to board the vessel to inspect the cargo and documentation. Three women, Emma, Rita, and Liz, were the first to volunteer.

After the vessels refused our polite request to allow us access, Emma stepped on board to press the point. She was immediately attacked – they punched her, pulled her hair, picked her up and threw her overboard. One person hurled a large wooden pallet which whistled by our heads, and another tossed a full bucket of paint into one of our boats. If either of those had hit their intended targets, someone could have been seriously injured, but fortunately no damage was done.”

This all reminds me about the video which shows peaceful environmental activists who were protecting an old-growth forest in Tasmania, Australia, being violently attacked by timber workers.

Photo credit: moonjazz

Riding personal watercrafts is generally a not recommended choice. They pollute the air and water, but if used with care, they can be relatively harmless. Since they go in areas inaccessible for larger boats, they can damage fragile marine habitats. However, they can be ridden in a way that is negligible in terms of ecosystem damage, provided it’s in a controlled environment.

Riding ATVs is also accepted under specific rules. ATVs pollute and tear up the terrain, but are sometimes still the only way to get out into the wilderness. The key is to be respectful of your surroundings and not to disturb wildlife. Always ride on proper trails to avoid harming fragile habitats.

Fishing: Deep sea fishing is less preferred than catch-and-release. Generally, fish caught on a line is considered sustainable. Obey regulations regarding the season and size of the catch, and remember that many boats burn a lot of fuel and create air and water pollution. It should be done in moderation or not at all, and never just for a wall mount.

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Research by the University of Gothenburg shows that more than 400 marine zones around the world has such “a great lack of oxygen in soft seabeds that fauna and fish have been harmed.” The research made by the Swedish University also shows that the dead soft seabeds have doubled every decade since the 60’s.

Back in 1995 Rutger Rosenberg, from the Department of Marine Ecology, University of Gothenburg, and Robert Diaz, from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science in the USA, carried out research and studies on the world’s soft seabeds. Their research then showed 44 zones “that were so afflicted by oxygen deficiency that soft-seabed fauna and fish had been harmed.”

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