More than 1,000 top scientists from around the world called Monday for a moratorium on deep-sea bottom trawling, saying it is destroying cold water corals rich in life before they can be studied.
A statement by the scientists was released simultaneously at a meeting of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur and at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in the United States.
"Shallow-water coral reefs are sometimes called 'the rainforests of the sea' for their extraordinary biological diversity, perhaps the highest anywhere on Earth," the 1,136 scientists from 69 countries said. "However, until quite recently, few people knew that the majority of coral species live in colder, darker depths, or that some of these form coral reefs and forests similar to those of shallow waters in appearance, species richness and importance to fisheries."
Some corals resemble "trees" up to 10 meters tall while others form dense thickets supporting hundreds or thousands of species.
But just as scientists have begun to understand their importance "human activities, particularly bottom trawling, are causing unprecedented damage", the statement said.
"Even before scientists can find them, deep-sea coral and sponge ecosystems are being destroyed by commercial fishing, especially bottom trawling."
Bottom trawling involves dragging heavy chains, nets and steel plates across the ocean floor.
The scientists, described as the world's foremost biologists, say it is not too late to save most of the world's deep-sea coral and sponge ecosystems.