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This Far No Further

Posted by Greenpeace UK - 27th June 2016


All of us are determined to see the Arctic protected, and willing to take bold action to make it happen. It’s working – something incredible has just happened up in the Arctic, because of eight million Arctic Defenders around the world. History is being made, and our supporters are all at the heart of it.

The Arctic Sunrise patrols the Arctic Ocean to ensure fishing fleets do not exploit this pristine region.

Just months after Shell was forced to withdraw from the Alaskan Arctic, public pressure has seen the world’s biggest fishing companies agree not to exploit pristine parts of the Norwegian Arctic Ocean. The area that this incredible agreement protects stretches from Svalbard all the way up to the North Pole, and is known as ‘the Galapagos of the north’.

The frozen Arctic Ocean is one of the few places left on Earth that remains untouched. That’s why the news that together we have successfully convinced seafood giants not to venture further north is so important. It means this incredible region’s future is now looking a lot more secure.

More than a dozen companies – including McDonald’s, Tesco, Birds Eye, Young’s Seafood and Europe’s largest processor of frozen fish, Espersen – have publicly committed not to expand their cod fisheries further into pristine Arctic waters. Not until robust and independent scientific research demonstrates that it won’t harm the marine environment.

The Beluga whale is one of many species that live in the Arctic waters.

How did we make this happen? Firstly, with the help of our supporters gave us the funds and the mandate we needed to act. We carried out an in-depth investigation, analysing and tracking vessels to prove that fishing is increasing in this part of the Norwegian Arctic.

Then we started talking to the companies that source white fish from this area. We invited the retailers, brands, fishing companies, distributors and suppliers that could be implicated in Arctic destruction to be part of the solution instead. Finally, we headed to the Brussels Seafood Expo to hold talks with the industry.

A shoal of Atlantic cod in Norway. Much of the white fish sold in the UK is caught in Norwegian waters.
 
Brokering this groundbreaking agreement shows just how influential our movement has become. And it is safe to say it couldn’t have happened without public pressure. The seafood industry wouldn’t have moved so quickly if it wasn’t sure that this was an issue that mattered to so many people around the world. And you know what? This deal proves change is possible. Given the right encouragement, industries are willing to act responsibly.

It is our collective determination to protect the Arctic, our willingness to fight for its protection for as long as it takes, that makes this kind of historic agreement possible. And – thanks to every one of you – we are now closer than ever to securing our vision of a global sanctuary around the North Pole.


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