Greenpeace and the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition have reported that a New Zealand bottom trawling vessel, fishing in the Chatham Rise off the South Island’s east coast, has pulled up 6,000 kg of protected stony coral in a single trawl.

Stony corals are a protected species under the New Zealand Wildlife Act. They’re reef-building corals of the deep sea around Aotearoa and provide critical habitat for many other deep sea species.

This destructive fishing method must stop on seamounts and other vital deep sea habitats.

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Image: Provided by Greenpeace: centuries-old coral being pulled up by a bottom trawler 20 years ago