The protection of our oceans, biodiversity and sustainable fishing is finally on the agenda in the European Parliament's plenary session. 🌊
It was high time, because the oceans are also suffering from us humans and the climate and biodiversity crisis!

We too often neglect the many challenges in our oceans. Yet they cover 71% of the earth's surface, are home to unimagined diversity and are among the most important CO2 sinks. Unfortunately, we humans are endangering their health in many ways.

 This is the case, for example, with deep-sea drilling for raw materials, which has unpredictable and often irreversible consequences for the sensitive ecosystems of the deep sea. As the Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster shows, the technology is by no means safe and can trigger serious environmental disasters.

We are also exploiting the oceans:
The European Citizens' Initiative "Stop finning and trade", which will also be discussed in plenary, shows this in an impressive way. Finning, i.e. the brutal removal and marketing of shark and ray fins, is unfortunately still a widespread practice worldwide! Entire populations are being wiped out, even though European fishing associations shamefully claim the opposite.
Sharks and rays are an essential part of the ecosystem as part of the food chain! Here is a speech I gave on the subject: https://youtu.be/gS-knFiAySQ

 This is also reflected in the insane plans of the Spanish large-scale fishery Nueva Pesanova for an industrial octopus farm on the Canary Islands. In the 21st century, a new form of factory farming is to be created - instead of reforming animal husbandry and switching to species-appropriate husbandry, highly intelligent octopods, which are solitary animals in the wild, are being kept here.
Don't eat any more octopus! Sign petitions against this farm, e.g. here: https://www.drove.com/campaign/6202d5ca01cf365ea19492a3

In short, the biodiversity of our oceans is crucial for the balance of our planet. We need to protect it better and I am committed to doing so!