Study shows human impact on deep sea floor - 30 Sep 2010  
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Researchers from the National Oceanography Center in Southampton, UK for the first time have analyzed humans’ physical footprint on the ocean sea floor of the Northeast Atlantic Ocean.
Their study concluded that the human activity with the greatest physical impact is bottom trawling fishing. Other human activities considered were munitions and chemical dumping, scientific research, telecommunications cables, and oil and gas drilling.

After mapping and estimating the spatial extent of each activity’s impact on the sea floor, it was found that non-fisheries scientific research had a relatively small footprint, whereas fisheries-related research, oil and gas activities and cable laying had a moderate effect.

Bottom trawling by the fishing industry, however, caused by far the most devastation, with its spatial extent estimated to be at least ten times that of the other intentional activities, and a physical footprint more extensive than all other activities combined.

Our thanks, research team at the UK’s National Oceanography Center for this wake-up call to the damaging effects of bottom trawling fishing.
Let us swiftly halt all such harmful actions that are impacting the oceans and work toward repairing our planet.
Supreme Master Ching Hai has frequently addressed the growing emergency state of the seas due to fishing practices, as in an interview published in the September 2009 edition of the British Parliament's The House Magazine.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: If we do end the killing of fish in the spirit of showing respect for all created life, the fish will rebound very quickly. But the continuation of fishing activities could damage the balance of marine life beyond its ability to recover.

Analysis by British researchers of hundreds of years of fishing records has revealed to us the devastating effects of trawling to both the marine environment and sea life.
One scientist compared this method to harvesting apples by lowering a giant net and dragging it through the orchard, thus destroying the trees, destroying the very life that supports the fruit.

Please, request the media’s help in spreading info about the detriments of trawling and the dire state of fish populations today. Another extremely effective practice would be to stop eating fish and advocate the same for all citizens.
http://www.physorg.com/news203684995.html
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/09/human-impacts-on-deep-sea-floor-measured-for-first-time.php http://planetsave.com/2010/09/15/massive-human-impact-on-the-deep-seafloor/