Date Time Walls of death: fisheries threaten livelihoods in Indian Ocean, report reveals Fishing pressure on the Indian Ocean high seas is threatening ocean health, coastal livelihoods and iconic species, with governments failing to act, a new Greenpeace International report shows. [1] The new investigation in the north western Indian Ocean reveals: Large-scale driftnets, described as “walls of death” and banned by the United Nations 30 years ago, continue to be used extensively, leading to the decimation of marine life in the region. Shark populations in the Indian Ocean have collapsed by almost 85% in the last 50 years. Greenpeace UK witnessed the use of gillnets, with seven boats creating two walls of nets over 21 miles long, and documented bycatch of endangered species like devil rays.