Why ban super trawlers in Irish waters?

 In 2012 there was an environmental campaign in Australia to ban super trawlers over 130 metres from the country's sovereign waters. The Geelong star was a factory super trawler which had been connected to the deaths of 47 seals, 11 albatross and 9 dolphins. The Australian fisheries management authority produced a report saying that super trawlers are now targeting Australia because fish stocks of other countries had been depleted due to over-fishing. On Wednesday the 24th of December 2014, the Australian government banned super trawlers over 130 metres from their waters. This all came about from an online petition called 'Stop the Super-trawlers' which was signed by over 65,000 signatures. Recently I saw that Sein Fein politician Padraig Maclochlainn had started an online petition very similar to the Australian petition that eventually got super trawlers banned. I offered to manage the petition solely because I believe in it. I have started petitions before and I believe that we cannot sit back and do nothing. What is a petition? It's a collection of signatures showing peoples concern for a certain topic. People disregard petitions but they do work. Just like the petition in Australia, a petition on the Annacotty weir in limerick also turned the head of the government and now changes are imminent, hopefully not only salmon but eels and lampreys will have free passage up this old weir. 

Helen Mary Super Trawler, Permission from Pierre Gleizes

Our petition will hit 6000 signatures in just two weeks. So what we are trying to do is make people aware of this issue. I know this cannot be solved over night but with patience and constant work in the end we will reach our goal. Please share the petition, sign it and let continue the fight to save our oceans. Please follow link below! 

Ban Super Factory Ships In Irish Waters