MACRON ❤️ TRAWLING. UNOC 2025
09.06.2025
⬆️ Captain Iglo loves Macron. Kiss, kiss thank you for allowing us to trawl Marine Protected Areas. Photo by João Daniel Pereira.
A President Macron ‘big head’ serving notorious industrial fisher Captain Iglo and three fish-headed EU industrial fishers took to the beach outside the Negresco Hotel, Nice.
Spectators were disgusted when the two famous characters, one from French politics and the other from adverts designed to lie about fishing, wastefully waved stinky fish on a platter. The smell of the fish viscera was appalling but this didn’t seem to worry the strange crew, who seemed happy to display how little they cared for marine life, the climate and small scale fishers. The devastation industrial fishing is causing across the World is on a scale that can never be described as ‘sustainable’ – but still it carries on with the help of EU politicians, other World leaders and an ineffectual UN.
⬆️ The Negresco Hotel formed the backdrop to the strange crew. The famous Nice landmark is known for its luxurious rooms. Perhaps Macron is staying there with Captain Iglo? Photo by Guy Reece.
The fate of the Ocean depends on us all.
Our interventions depend on your support.
The performance is a call to Macron, and EU, UN and World leaders to end their unconditional support for destructive lobbies and practices such as trawling and subsidising of industrial fishing. It smells to high heaven.
For decades EU leaders have been showing a staggering lack of ambition over Ocean protection, pushing instead for Ocean Destruction. As a first step to putting things right, Ocean Rebellion demands that EU leaders stop all EU fisheries from using trawling fishing gear and genuinely protect all Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) from all methods of industrial fishing.
⬆️ The Police arrived to assess the situation. Macron offers them a fish but they’re more interested in taking details. Photo by Seaman Staines.
More Police join the party and are confused to meet an icon from a North European advertising campaign. Photo by Guy Reece. ⬇️
—
Macron’s double game
Conference host and second largest maritime power in the world, France’s President Macron, has been gurgling ’Nice’ (sorry about the pun) noises about the need to listen to science and increase the protection and quantity of marine protected areas, and axing ocean microplastics while turning his back on international scientific recommendations and European objectives. Indeed, sadly, we’ve heard this all before. Talk is cheap but the EU sponsored Ocean destruction continues. In reality France and the EU allow their fishing fleet to maximise its ‘legal’ colonial overfishing in places where local fisherfolk go hungry as a result, while being ultra-soft on illegal fishing and subsidising illegal and destructive ‘legal’ fishing alike. They are also increasing carbon emissions by subsidising and supporting the fishing industry’s use of fossil fuels. When you add their inability to actually protect Marine Protected Areas what you are left with is a complete shitshow of lies.
According to the IUCN, a “Marine Protected Area” cannot be considered as “protected” if industrial extractive activities (including fishing) are conducted there or if industrial infrastructures are developed. Meanwhile, shady Macron and his Minister of Ecological Transition Agnès Pannier-Runacher, together with European Commissioner Costas Kadis and other EU leaders, continue to act as spokespeople for industrial fishing lobbies, defending an ineffectual case-by-case approach for marine protection which rubbishes international and scientific recommendations. Given the urgency of protecting the ocean and de-trawling the fishing fleet, this “case-by-case” approach, which aims to ‘protect’ certain protected areas from ‘certain’ types of fishing gear, is dangerous ecologically, economically and scientifically. France is blocking the already inadequate international and European ambitions. And France is destroying any possibility of responding to the climate and nature emergency in the Oceans, the main place where the struggle for life on earth will be lost or won.
Macron and French marine policies are a fraud, spouting impressive ambitions without any clear definition, thus sabotaging global attempts to save the oceans. Macron has deliberately sunk the 10% ambition on “strict protection” by using a different term like “strong protection”, and created pretend ‘categories’ to avoid the goal of 30% “protection” (so no ban on industrial activities, no ban on destructive fisheries), and ensured there is no specific fund for biodiversity.
France is also doing its best to thwart the UK’s ambitions to save life in its territorial waters by arguing over fishing rights and making them a central part of UK / EU negotiations. It’s ironic that a state that left the EU is the only one enacting EU fisheries protection.
⬆️ The strange crew went for a stroll along the promenade, enticed by the smell of rotten fish. Photo by João Daniel Pereira.
—
MPA means what?
The name ‘Marine Protected Areas’ sounds like the area is protected. But this often isn’t true. Approximately one quarter (27.1% in 2024 compared to 26.7% in 2023) of trawl fishing in Europe still takes place within marine areas that are supposed to be ‘protected’’. Trawling activity (both bottom and pelagic) remains more intense than outside these areas. And the Netherlands routinely bottom trawls MPAs, and has the highest number of hours spent trawling. But it’s not the only EU country. In fact bottom trawling is still happening in 90% of offshore EU MPAs. This recent study lists Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain as serial perpetrators in Marine ‘Protected’ Areas. Between them these countries have spent the equivalent of 4.4 million hours bottom trawling MPAs between 2015 and 2023. That’s a lot of fish, discards and seabed systematically destroyed in ‘protected areas’.
⬆️ The love affair between Macron and industrial fishing continued. Photo by Guy Reece.
—
Ocean Rebellion says: “Industry has declared war on fish and its winning. The Ocean is so depleted that small fishing communities are on the edge of survival and areas of former plenty are now empty. Over 100 million people rely on inshore subsistence and small-scale artisanal fishing for their daily food and livelihood − often using the same waters targeted by EU trawlers. It really is a no-brainer to end industrial fishing. If fishing is decreased by 80% EU wide we will simultaneously restore our seas and help coastal communities by reinvigorating traditional fishing methods and rewarding Ocean care – what’s more all of this can start by redirecting existing subsidies.”
small fishing communities are on the edge of survival
⬆️ Macron waves the spoils of industrial fishing in the air. Photo by Seaman Staines.
—
Ocean Rebellion demands:
It’s time for zero nets and an end to trawling. The EU, led by France, can start by really protecting Marine Protected Areas with no destructive fishing practices and banning trawling across the EU fishing fleet. By sending out a clear commitment to the Ocean the EU will lead the world by turning the tide against marine biodiversity loss. By saying no to the global fishing industry and yes to its own citizens, the EU can restore wonder and pride in its seas. Which, with the right subsidies and policies, will help coastal communities become custodians of their local seas and care for the Ocean.
⬆️ The industrial fish heads explain their destructive fishing methods to a patient police man. Photo by João Daniel Pereira.
—