Ancient coral ecosystems in the deep remain unprotected despite the evidence
Off the coasts of a nation that once prided itself on environmental stewardship, a fishing vessel with a proven record of destroying ancient deep-sea coral has been handed permission to return to the same waters it has already harmed. New Zealand, now the sole country conducting bottom trawling on the South Pacific High Seas, issued the permit in June 2026 despite overwhelming public opposition and documented evidence of irreplaceable ecosystems at stake. The decision raises a question older than any of the corals at risk: when a society knows what it is destroying, and chooses to continue, what does that choice reveal about the values it actually holds?
- A vessel convicted of illegally hauling up protected coral in 2020, and caught destroying 37 kilograms more from a biodiverse seamount in 2024, has been handed a new international fishing permit less than two years after its most recent offence.
- Greenpeace camera surveys of the damaged seamount revealed hundreds of corals and sponges — some nearly two metres tall and over a century old — qualifying the area as a vulnerable marine ecosystem under international standards.
- New Zealand now stands alone among Pacific nations in authorising high-seas bottom trawling, a practice that drags weighted nets across the seafloor and indiscriminately destroys everything in its path.
- Over 100,000 people have signed petitions against the practice, polling shows 78 percent of New Zealanders oppose it, and a swimmer traversed the length of the North Island to draw attention to the cause — yet the government issued the permit regardless.
- On June 22, ten days after receiving its permit, the Tasman Viking switched off its location tracker near Nelson — and with ancient coral ecosystems documented but legally unprotected, the ship may already be at work in the Tasman.
The Tasman Viking has a history that makes its new permit difficult to defend. In 2020, the vessel was convicted of hauling up protected coral in the Tasman Sea and failing to report it. In 2024, it dragged 37 kilograms of coral from Lord Howe Rise, a seamount so ecologically rich that authorities temporarily closed the area to fishing afterward. Less than two years later, New Zealand's Ministry for Primary Industries issued the ship a fresh International Fishing Permit on June 12, 2026.
What the Tasman Viking's nets had threatened became vivid after Greenpeace conducted deep-sea camera surveys of the damaged seamount following the 2024 incident. The footage revealed an ecosystem of hundreds of corals and sponges, some nearly two metres tall, many estimated to be over a century old — organisms that had grown slowly in cold, still water for generations before a trawl net swept through.
New Zealand is now the only country permitting bottom trawling on the South Pacific High Seas, a practice that drags weighted nets across the seafloor and destroys indiscriminately. Public opposition is not marginal: 78 percent of New Zealanders oppose it in the Tasman, more than 100,000 have signed petitions, and a swimmer named Jono Ridler crossed the length of the North Island to amplify the cause.
Greenpeace oceans campaigner Ellie Hooper called the permit decision embarrassing and indefensible given the vessel's recent record. Karli Thomas of the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition went further, framing New Zealand as an active obstacle to international efforts to protect vulnerable seamounts — describing the practice as "last-century ocean vandalism."
On June 22, ten days after the permit was issued, the Tasman Viking turned off its location tracking system near Nelson. With the ancient ecosystems of the Tasman documented but unprotected, the ship may already be fishing the very waters its nets have damaged before.
The Tasman Viking, a fishing vessel with a documented record of destroying deep-sea coral, has been granted permission by New Zealand to fish in international waters. The permit, issued in mid-June, has ignited sharp criticism from environmental groups who see it as a betrayal of public sentiment and scientific evidence about what lies on the ocean floor.
The ship's history is the crux of the controversy. In 2020, the Tasman Viking was convicted of hauling up protected coral in the Tasman Sea and failing to report the catch properly. Four years later, in 2024, the same vessel dragged up 37 kilograms of coral from a seamount known as Lord Howe Rise, a biodiverse underwater formation. That incident prompted authorities to temporarily close the area to fishing. The timing of the new permit—issued less than two years after the 2024 incident—has drawn particular ire from conservation advocates.
After the 2024 incident, Greenpeace conducted deep-sea camera surveys of the damaged seamount. What they found was striking: hundreds of corals, sponges, and other organisms that qualify the area as a vulnerable marine ecosystem under international standards. Some of the corals measured nearly two meters tall. Many were estimated to be over a century old, having grown in the cold, still waters of the deep ocean for generations. The surveys provided concrete evidence of what the Tasman Viking's nets had threatened to destroy.
New Zealand now stands alone among Pacific nations in permitting bottom trawling on the high seas. The practice involves dragging weighted nets across the seafloor, a method that indiscriminately sweeps up everything in its path. Public opposition has been substantial: polling shows 78 percent of New Zealanders oppose bottom trawling in the Tasman. Over 100,000 people have signed petitions calling for an end to the practice, and a swimmer named Jono Ridler drew attention to the issue by swimming the length of the North Island.
Ellie Hooper, an oceans campaigner with Greenpeace, called the permit decision embarrassing and at odds with what the public has made clear it wants. The move to authorize a vessel with a recent track record of non-compliance—one that caused coral destruction less than two years ago—struck her as indefensible. "It's well past time that New Zealand stopped permitting this ocean destruction out on the High Seas," she said.
Karli Thomas of the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition framed the issue in broader terms. While other countries have pushed for protection of vulnerable deep-sea habitats, New Zealand has resisted international efforts to safeguard seamounts from trawling. Thomas characterized the situation as New Zealand standing in the way of global conservation efforts, describing seamount trawling as "last-century ocean vandalism."
The permit process itself is straightforward: any New Zealand bottom trawler seeking to fish in the South Pacific high seas must obtain an International Fishing Permit from the Ministry for Primary Industries. The Tasman Viking received its permit on June 12. Ten days later, on June 22, the vessel turned off its location tracking system outside Nelson, suggesting it may have headed to sea. With the permit in hand and the ancient coral ecosystems documented but unprotected, the ship could now be operating in the Tasman, potentially causing the very destruction that surveys have shown is possible.
Citas Notables
New Zealand is now the only country bottom trawling out in the South Pacific high seas, and the public have made it abundantly clear they object to it.— Ellie Hooper, Greenpeace oceans campaigner
Trawling on seamounts is last-century ocean vandalism, and it's got to stop.— Karli Thomas, Deep Sea Conservation Coalition
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does it matter that this particular vessel got a permit? Isn't it just one boat?
Because it's not just one boat—it's a signal about what New Zealand is willing to allow. The Tasman Viking has already destroyed coral twice. Issuing it a permit anyway says the government doesn't take that history seriously, even though the public clearly does.
What exactly happens when a bottom trawler operates on a seamount?
The nets drag across the seafloor and catch everything—fish, yes, but also corals, sponges, ancient organisms that took centuries to grow. Once they're torn up, they don't come back. The seamount becomes a graveyard.
The article mentions corals that are over a century old. How do we know their age?
Scientists can estimate age through various methods—growth rings in some species, chemical analysis, observation of size and structure. A two-meter coral in the deep ocean didn't get that way in a decade. It's a living archive.
If 78 percent of New Zealanders oppose this, why did the government issue the permit anyway?
That's the question everyone's asking. The Deep Sea Coalition suggests the fishing industry has significant influence over the decision-makers. It's a classic tension between what the public wants and what industrial interests can secure.
Is there any mechanism to revoke the permit if the ship causes damage again?
The source doesn't say. But given that the Tasman Viking already damaged coral in 2024 and still got approved, it's unclear what would actually trigger revocation.
What would protection of these seamounts actually look like?
Closing them to bottom trawling entirely. Making them off-limits, the way some countries have done. It's not complicated—it's a choice about whether those ancient ecosystems matter more than the catch.