Greenpeace drops boulders to stem trawling off Sweden Stockholm (AFP) Aug 10, 2009 Greenpeace activists have started an operation to sink nearly 180 boulders into EU-protected cod fishing grounds off Sweden to impede bottom-trawling, the environmental group said on Monday. The boulders will be thrown into the sea in the Kattegat sound between Sweden and Denmark, Greenpeace said, alleging that trawl nets used by fishermen cause serious damage to marine wildlife. Greenpeace spokesman Staffan Danielsson told AFP that the operation, which began at 11:30 (0930 GMT) on Monday, "would have no negative impact on the environment" and said the group had carried out a risk assessment that had been approved by independent researchers. The boulders, weighing between two and three tonnes, are to be sunk in zones classified as Natura 2000 in the Lilla Middelgrund (179 square kilometres, 70 square miles) and Flauden (104 square kilometres, 40 square miles) areas. Natura 2000 is a network of sites around the European Union covered by EU directives aimed at protecting wildlife and their habitats. Both sites lie about 20 kilometres (15 miles) from Varberg port, off Sweden's southwest coast. "We expect to spend one week here to finish the operation and once we have finish in Flauden, we will start in Lilla Middelgrund," Danielsson said. Share This Article With Planet Earth
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India PM says enough food amid weak monsoon New Delhi (AFP) Aug 8, 2009 India's prime minister promised Saturday that no citizen would go hungry as a result of scanty monsoon rains that have threatened the output of rice and other vital crops. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also promised strong action against "hoarders and black marketeers" after the weather office reported that monsoon rains for the past week were 64 percent below average. The country of nea ... read more |
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