ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — They've taken on Mel Gibson, Saddam Hussein, Satan and Jesus.

Now the potty-mouthed kids from South Park are featured in an online advertisement -- and their target is the Canadian government and its opposition to a ban on bottom trawling on the high seas.

Greenpeace posted a video spoof online starring Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman, who slam Canada's stance on deep-sea dragging just as a six-day round of talks on sustainable fisheries began at the United Nations.

The boys -- animated as different species of fish -- single out Canada and Spain, expletives included, before a large net scoops "Squiddy" off the ocean floor.

"Oh my God! They killed Squiddy!" Stan yells.

"You bastards!" Kyle replies.

Then the group breaks into song, to the tune of the Oscar-nominated "Blame Canada,'' bashing Canadian officials for their refusal to support the ban while mocking Spanish fishermen who trawl "because we can.''

Bruce Cox, executive director of Greenpeace Canada, said the group launched the ad Friday as a way to reach a segment of the population who might not otherwise be familiar with Ottawa's position on trawling.

"We're hoping that this will create an Internet audience, perhaps a bit of a younger demographic," Cox said.

"Also, it's quite immediate."

The cartoon is also aimed at Prime Minister Stephen Harper in hopes of persuading him to reverse his position, Cox said.

But he admits it's highly unlikely Harper will heed the advice of Cartman and friends.

"Perhaps not," Cox laughed. "But he doesn't seem to be listening to the 1,500 scientists who have called for a moratorium on this."

Opponents of bottom trawling say the heavy, weighted nets destroy sensitive marine habitats as they drag along the ocean floor.

Federal Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn has said a proposed temporary ban on the practice in international waters would be unenforceable and not the most effective way to protect vulnerable species.

But conservation groups have pointed out that Ottawa has long supported a ban on drift-netting. They maintain that if Canada refuses to back a trawling ban, along with Spain, Iceland and Japan, it's unlikely the UN will pass a tough resolution outlawing dragging.

The federal government is pushing to extend the reach of fisheries management organizations to unregulated waters and give them sweeping powers.

But many of those organizations in the past have been found to be weak in combating foreign overfishing and do little to penalize rogue vessels that catch dwindling species.