Greenpeace activists witnessed sharks being hunted by a Spanish fishing ship using longline fishing off the coast of New Zealand.
What's happening?
According to The Guardian, Greenpeace Australia Pacific members aboard the observation ship Rainbow Warrior documented the fishing activities of the vessel Playa Zahara.
Activists spotted three endangered mako sharks being killed within a half hour, per the news report and an accompanying video.
The ship being observed was practicing longlining, an indiscriminate form of deep-sea fishing that can catch and kill many kinds of unintended wildlife. The owner of the Playa Zahara insisted that it was operating within regulations, including species within allowed quotas.
"It was devastating seeing these beautiful creatures being caught, often on their gills, in their mouth, by huge baited hooks," said Greenpeace Australia Pacific campaigner Georgia Whitaker, according to The Guardian. "They were fighting for their lives, and then minutes later you'd see blood spilling over the side of the boat."
Why is irresponsible fishing concerning?
Deep-sea biodiversity is suffering from overfishing in unregulated space. In addition to the capture of unintended species, commercial fishing leaves behind used lines and hooks. This ghost gear can entangle ocean creatures.
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Discarded or lost lines and nets also pose a massive plastic pollution problem and contribute to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
Trawling has been especially destructive to delicate ocean habitats, which make significant contributions to absorbing heat-trapping carbon pollution.
What's being done about the impacts of industrial fishing?
Greenpeace managed to free one endangered longfin mako shark, eight near-threatened blue sharks, four swordfish, and one ray from ghost gear, according to a report from the organization. It also removed almost 20 kilometers (around 12 miles) of longline fishing gear.
The Greenpeace mission was a precursor to a U.N. meeting regarding a high seas biodiversity treaty. This agreement has the potential to create marine protected areas that could support sea life.
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While more countries agreed to ratify the agreement, another 11 are needed for it to enter into force.
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