Petitions

'No Water. No Life. No Blue. No Green.'

Her Deepness, Dr Sylvia Earle

'If The Ocean Dies, We Die.'

Captain Paul Watson, Co-Founder of Greenpeace and Founder of Sea Shepherd

Urge the EU commission to ban destructive fishing in protected areas - Link to the petition
Organised by Only One with Oceana and Seas At Risk

Bottom trawling is one of the world’s most destructive fishing practices. By dragging weighted nets along the ocean floor — some up to 240 meters wide — bottom trawling devastates coastal habitats, kills marine life indiscriminately, and depletes fish stocks. Just as bulldozing a forest destroys an ecosystem that has taken centuries to grow, bottom trawling decimates the seabed in a single motion, scraping up coral reefs and any other life in its path.

Shockingly, bottom trawling is still permitted in some of Europe’s most fragile underwater ecosystems even though they have been designated as marine protected areas (MPAs).

Bottom trawling is responsible for more than 90% of discarded fish in the EU and accidentally ensnared and killed turtles, seabirds, and marine mammals. This harmful practice not only threatens Europe’s fish stocks but also the livelihoods of low-impact fishers and fisheries across the continent. By banning bottom trawling in MPAs as a starting point, marine life can recover, and we can preserve the low-impact fishing traditions that many communities depend on.

Stop Finning - Stop the Trade - #FinBanNow
European Citizens' Initiative led by Stop Finning EU to stop the shark fin trade in Europe.

Since 2012, EU citizens have the right to apply directly to the European Commission with a European Citizens’ Initiative in order to propose a concrete legislative amendment.

A total of at least one million verified signatures must be collected.

If the required number of signatures is reached within the period, the European Commission is obliged to react and the Citizens’ Committee can present its initiative at a public hearing in the European Parliament. Within three months, the European Commission will respond on how they plan to proceed. At best, this will lead to the adoption of the proposal and a legislative amendment. However, the European Commission may also reject the citizens’ initiative and state its reasons for so doing.

Voting took place between 1 February 2020 and 31 January 2022. The Citizens' Initiative gathered 1.119.996 verified statements of support from European citizens.

Updates:

11 January 2023: the demand was offically submitted to the European Commission;
6 February 2023: Stop Finning EU met with representatives of the Commission to explain the issues raised in the Citizens' Initiative;
27 March 2023: Stop Finning EU had the opportunity to present the initiative at a public hearing at the European Parliament;

11 July 2023: the European Commission announced the launch of an impact assessment on the environmental, social and economic consequences of a shark fin ban in the European Union by the end of 2023; reducing the chances of being legally challenged once new regulations are introduced.
23 February 2024: Call for evidence. Experts can provide evidence proving that saving sharks is only achievable with a total ban on loose shark fins. Deadline for submission 16 May 2024.

23 March 2024: Public consultation. You can now have your say on the potential impacts of a total ban of the shark fin trade by filling the online questionnaire. You don't need to be an expert, and Stop Finning EU is providing guidelines to help you with the process here. Deadline 4 June 2024

Stop Finning EU have a professional presence in Brussels in order to meet and answer any queries from the European Commission representatives. As a non-profit organisation, Stop Finning EU needs funds. You can help them by donating here.

Say No to Deep-Sea Mining - Link to the petition
Organised by Only One and Sustainable Ocean Alliance

For decades, large corporations have poisoned rivers, devastated forests and displaced communities. Now, they are rushing to mine minerals from the last untouched frontier on the planet: the deep sea.

Deep-sea mining would dwarf all other mining operations in human history and it would take place in a part of the planet that we are only just now beginning to understand. If this dangerous experiment goes wrong, it risks triggering a domino effect of unintended consequences that could destabilize the ocean, trigger food insecurity and affect all life on Earth.

As citizens concerned about the future of our planet, Only One urge you to support a moratorium on deep-sea mining and protect the ecosystems that we all rely upon by signing their public letter.

Updates:

New Zealand, France, Germany, Palau, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Samoa, Costa Rica, Chile, Spain, Panama have so far said no to deep-sea mining;
4 March 2023: More than 250.000 supporters worldwide signed the letter, which was handed over by Dr Sylvia Earle to world leaders at 'Our Ocean Conference' in Panama;
18 March 2023: The International Seabed Authority is finalizing regulations for mining activities in over 40% of the planet's surface. Approval of these rules could come as early as July 2023. After that, a scramble to mine the deep-sea will commence. Sign the letter in the above link to demand that all plans to mine the deep-sea are stopped.