Greenpeace Calls on Scientists to Take Stronger Stand to Save Tuna
Port Vila, Vanuatu, 11 August 2009 - Greenpeace today urged the fifth annual meeting of the Western and Central Pacific
Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) Scientific Committee (1) to do more to end overfishing of Pacific bigeye and yellowfin
tuna, by calling for larger reductions in fishing of these key species and by recommending the closure of four enclaves
on international waters to all fishing.
More than half of the world's tuna supply comes from the Pacific and 2008 was the highest reported annual catch in the
Pacific fishery at over 2.4 million tonnes. With the world's appetite for tuna growing continuously, the food security
for local island communities and millions of people across the globe depends on this meeting recommending to the WCPFC
substantial cuts in fishing and an end to the high seas plunder (2).
Last week Science published a joint paper (3) by the world's leading fishery biologists declaring the dire need to
restore marine ecosystems. They warn that fisheries exploitation targets "should be reinterpreted as an upper limit
rather than a management target."
"Catching fish the way we do undermines the viability of the fish stocks, their ecosystem and the fishing industry
itself. The WCPFC must set precautionary management targets and cut fishing by half, rather that allowing outrageous
increases in fishing capacity," said Lagi Toribau Greenpeace Australia Pacific Oceans Team Leader at the meeting.
Another increasing threat to Pacific marine life results from wasteful fishing techniques - Fishing Aggregation Devices
(FADs) used by purse seine vessels - which intensify overfishing. FADs are used to attract skipjack tuna but juvenile
bigeye and yellowfin as well as sharks and other marine life are killed as by-catch when caught in the nets and thrown
overboard, dead, as waste. Greenpeace is calling on a full ban on the use of these devices.
A new study (4) revealed that Oceania is an extinction hotspot. Fishing was highlighted as one of the factors forcing
widespread extinctions, alongside with climate change, ocean acidification and the encroachment of human populations on
fragile reef and rainforest habitats. The authors recommend 30-50% of the marine habitat be closed to fishing to avoid
collapse of stocks.
Enclaves of international waters in the Pacific (5) are an important contribution to the network of marine reserves
needed world-wide. Approximately 10% of the Pacific annual reported catch comes from these areas, which Greenpeace's
previous expeditions have confirmed to be havens for pirate fishing (6). The enclaves are also rich biological and
ecological areas containing vulnerable, fragile and sensitive habitats such as tropical corals and shallow seamounts.
"Marine reserves are a powerful means of protecting and restoring marine ecosystems. Greenpeace is calling on the WCPFC
to close these four enclaves to all fishing." said Genevieve Quirk Greenpeace Oceans Campaigner also at the meeting.
Greenpeace campaigns for a network of fully-protected marine reserves covering 40 per cent of the world's oceans to
safeguard them against the ravages of climate change, restore the health of fish stocks, and protect ocean life from
habitat destruction and collapse.
*Notes to editor:*
2. Greenpeace Briefing Paper to the Science meeting at bottom page of website: http://www.wcpfc.int/meetings/2009/5th-regular-session-
3. Boris Worm, Ray Hilborn, Julia K. Baum, Trevor A. Branch, Jeremy S. Collie, Christopher Costello, Michael J. Fogarty,
Elizabeth A. Fulton, Jeffrey A. Hutchings, Simon Jennings, Olaf P. Jensen, Heike K. Lotze, Pamela M. Mace, Tim R.
McClanahan, Cóilín Minto, Stephen R. Palumbi, Ana M. Parma, Daniel Ricard, Andrew A. Rosenberg, Reg Watson, Dirk Zeller.
Rebuilding Global Fisheries. SCIENCE, VOL 325, 31 July 2009.
4. R. T. Kingsford, J. E. M. Watson, C. J. Lundquist, O. Venter, L. Hughes, E. L. Johnston, J. Atherton, M. Gawel, D. A.
Keith, B. G. Mackey, C. Morley, H. P. Possingham, B. Raynor, H. F. Recher, AND K. A. Wilson. Major Conservation Policy
Issues for Biodiversity in Oceania. Conservation Biology, Volume 23. July 2009.
5. Link to new high seas map showing 4 enclaves http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/issues/overfishing/solutions/political/marine-reserves
6. Pirate fishing is estimated at 21-46% for the Pacific Ocean. Marine Resource Assessment Group (MRAG) and the
University of British Columbia (2008) "The global extent of illegal fishing"
For further information contact:
Sari Tolvanen, Greenpeace International oceans campaigner, 0031 655 125 480
Elsa Evers, Greenpeace Australia Pacific communications, 0061 438 204 041
Phil Crawford, Greenpeace New Zealand communications 0064 21 2299 594
Campaigners in Vanuatu:
Lagi Toribau, Greenpeace Australia Pacific oceans team leader, 0011 679 9370 330
Genevieve Quirk, Greenpeace Australia Pacific oceans campaigner, 0011 458 297 671
ENDS