Greenpeace says video it made of international fishing vessels off Canada proves that bottom-dragging nets are destroying fish stocks.

Members of the environmental group and their vessel, the Esperanza, returned to Halifax Friday with images of several vessels that use the nets.

During the two-week mission on the Grand Banks and Flemish Cap, at points beyond Canada's 200-mile limit, they were allowed to board five of the ships.

The fishing boat Santa Cristina, from Portugal, bottom trawls for fish on the Grand Banks. (Photo courtesy of Greenpeace©/Virginia Lee Hunter)

"We saw about 20 boats while we were out there from a whole range of countries, Estonia, Portugal, Latvia and Lituania," said Bunny McDiarmid of Greenpeace, who wants an international ban on dragnet fishing.

She told reporters images of the huge nets, complete with heavy chains and other gear attached, will impress Canadians.

"If you show the public the kind of gear that's being used and you explain how the fishing is being done, people get this really easily. This is not a sustainable way to do it," she said.

McDiarmid said proof that this kind of fishing cannot continue comes from fishermen who say their nets aren't scooping up a lot of unwanted species any more.

"Some of the skippers that we spoke to said that they're not seeing a lot of it now because they think they've trawled the Earth for so long that there isn't a lot more to get."

She said Greenpeace is using the release of the video to criticize the federal fisheries minister, Geoff Regan, for comments he made recently about dragging.

The minister said his focus is not on banning gear, but identifying habitats that are most sensitive and protecting those areas.

Regan also said any fishing gear that's used improperly causes damage, a statement Greenpeace has dismissed.

The group said these bottom dragger nets are being used as intended and they're doing damage that may be irreversible.