The Deep Sea Conservation Coalition (DSCC) is an alliance of over 60 international organizations working to promote the conservation of biodiversity on the high seas. The coalition is calling on the United Nations General Assembly

United Nations General Assembly

For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...

 to institute a moratorium on high seas bottom trawling

Bottom trawling

Bottom trawling is trawling along the sea floor. It is also often referred to as "dragging".The scientific community divides bottom trawling into benthic trawling and demersal trawling...

 in order to protect seamounts

Seamount

A seamount is a mountain rising from the ocean seafloor that does not reach to the water's surface , and thus is not an island. These are typically formed from extinct volcanoes, that rise abruptly and are usually found rising from a seafloor of depth. They are defined by oceanographers as...

, cold-water corals

Deep water coral

The habitat of deep water corals, also known as cold water corals, extends to deeper, darker parts of the oceans than tropical corals, ranging from near the surface to the abyss, beyond where water temperatures may be as cold as 4°C...

 and vulnerable deep-sea ecosystems.

Overview

DSCC members include local, regional, national and international conservation and environmental organizations. Steering Group members include Conservation International

Conservation International

Conservation International is a nonprofit organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, which seeks to ensure the health of humanity by protecting Earth's ecosystems and biodiversity. CI’s work focuses on six key initiatives that affect human well-being: climate, food security, freshwater...

, Greenpeace

Greenpeace

Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...

, Marine Conservation Biology Institute, Natural Resources Defense Council

Natural Resources Defense Council

The Natural Resources Defense Council is a New York City-based, non-profit, non-partisan international environmental advocacy group, with offices in Washington DC, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Beijing...

, Oceana, Pew Charitable Trusts, and Seas at Risk. Supporters of the coalition include oceanographers, environmental lawyers and conservationists such as Dr. Sylvia Earle

Sylvia Earle

Sylvia Alice Earle is an American oceanographer. She was chief scientist for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration from 1990–1992. She is a National Geographic explorer-in-residence, sometimes called "Her Deepness" or "The Sturgeon General".-Education and career:Earle received a...

, Dr. Callum Roberts

Callum Roberts

Callum Roberts is a marine conservation biologist, oceanographer, author and research scholar at the University of York, England.His work examines the impact of human activity on marine ecosystems, particularly coral reefs. In St. Lucia and Saba in the Caribbean, he has studied the effects of...

, Dr. Elliott Norse, Dr. Alex Rogers, Matthew Gianni, Kelly Rigg (DSCC Coordinator), Karen Sack, Bill Chandler, Arlo Hemphill

Arlo Hemphill

Arlo Hanlin Hemphill is an American explorer, ocean conservationist, and film actor. With an educational background in marine biology, he is a Fellow National of the Explorers Club and has been listed in Nature as one of 100+ global biodiversity experts, credited for his expertise pertaining to...

, Lisa Speer, Charles Fox, Duncan Currie, Dorthea Hangaard, Steven Lutz, Peggy Kalas, Lyn Goldsworthy, and Mirella von Lindenfels. Others who have spoken on behalf of the coalition include Sigourney Weaver

Sigourney Weaver

Sigourney Weaver is an American actress. She is best known for her critically acclaimed role of Ellen Ripley in the four Alien films: Alien, Aliens, Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection, for which she has received worldwide recognition .Other notable roles include Dana...

, Dr. Jeffrey Sachs

Jeffrey Sachs

Jeffrey David Sachs is an American economist and Director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University. One of the youngest economics professors in the history of Harvard University, Sachs became known for his role as an adviser to Eastern European and developing country governments in the...

, Dr. Ellen Pikitch and Dr. David Suzuki

David Suzuki

David Suzuki, CC, OBC is a Canadian academic, science broadcaster and environmental activist. Suzuki earned a Ph.D in zoology from the University of Chicago in 1961, and was a professor in the genetics department of the University of British Columbia from 1963 until his retirement in 2001...

.