Brussels, 9 December 2020:- A heroic herring hero swims through the ocean, evading voracious cod, dolphins and massive industrial trawlers in “Ocean Uprising”, an online game released by the Our Fish campaign, ahead of next week’s EU AGRIFISH Council negotiations on North East Atlantic fish stocks.
“By inviting the public to follow the adventures of our caped herring crusader, we hope that Ocean Uprising can spread awareness of the connection between healthy fish stocks and a healthy ocean, as well as the destructive impact that overfishing is having on our ocean and climate”, said Our Fish Programme Director Rebecca Hubbard.
Game players are invited to sign a petition addressed to the European Commission, EU Council and EU Member states calling for an end to destructive overfishing in order to build ocean resilience in response to the climate and nature crisis, and to support a just transition to ecosystem-based fisheries management.
“Fish play a critical role in keeping the ocean healthy – simply by eating, swimming together, pooing and dying, they send carbon deep to the ocean floor, where it’s stored and can’t contribute to global heating”, said Hubbard.
“Their schooling also helps to push nutrients up, which feed plankton, microscopic floating plants responsible for producing around 70% of the world’s oxygen.”
“But when unsustainable numbers of fish are removed from the ocean through overfishing, excess carbon is released into the environment and the ocean ecosystem is catastrophically depleted”, continued Hubbard. “EU fisheries ministers must set fishing limits within the limits of nature, or its game over for EU fisheries, and all of us – who depend on a healthy ocean and safe climate”.
Play the game:
Also: Join AGRIFISH Press Briefing: How EU Decisions On Fishing Quotas Will Set Tone for 2021
What: Joint media briefing by NGOs ahead of setting of EU fishing quotas for 2021
Why: There’s risk of more “overfishing as usual” during EU AGRIFISH Council, 15-16 December – but also opportunities for the EU to set positive examples
Who: Lead campaigners from Our Fish, Oceana, ClientEarth, Seas At Risk, The Pew Charitable Trusts, Sciaena
When: 11:30 CET Monday 14 December
Where: Online – Register for the briefing on Zoom here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0qdOyrrT0qHNQW0JWtTFrNf6HmDTYpiEbS
Contacts:
Dave Walsh, Our Fish Communications Advisor, +34 691 826 764, dave@our.fish
About Our Fish
Our Fish is working to end overfishing and restore a healthy ocean ecosystem. By collaborating with others, and deploying robust evidence, we are calling for an end to overfishing as a critical and significant action to address the biodiversity and climate crisis. https://our.fish