Tuna stock management critically needed

MANILA, Philippines - Environmental activists are urging the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) to halt the entry of new industrial fishing vessels into the Pacific region and to introduce sharp cuts to tuna catches as recommended by scientists.

Greenpeace said Pacific tuna stocks are in decline with bigeye, yellowfin and albacore tunas now all in need of urgent management action to ensure future sustainability and livelihoods for the region’s vulnerable coastal states.

Countries like the Philippines, a major tuna player and a full voting member of the Commission, will be closely monitoring the discussions to ensure that the sustainability of tuna stocks will be a top priority, instead of asking for exemptions to conservation measures.               

“This is the 10th meeting of the Commission and it is time that its members stop ignoring the science and put strong precautionary measures in place to ensure overfishing is halted and that the number of vessels in the fishery is urgently capped and capacity reduced,” said Mark Dia, regional oceans campaigner for Greenpeace Southeast Asia.              

Much of the blame for overfishing is placed on the large international purse seine fleet originating from the US, Taiwan, Korea, Spain, China and Japan that for much of their catch relies on destructive fish aggregation devices or FADs. 

Purse seine fishery was responsible for over two thirds of the more than 2.5 million tons of tuna fished out of the Pacific last year alone. This method catches large amounts of juvenile tuna leading to steep stock declines, particularly of bigeye and yellowfin tunas.              

Dia said, “Purse seine vessels can fish without using destructive FADs, their use needs to be banned now. Tuna caught this way is already being widely rejected by consumers all over the world and the industry can benefit from the increased demand for more sustainably caught products if they act now.”

The group said that coastal communities dependent on tuna for food and livelihoods are already suffering due to inaction by the Commission. Just a few days ago the Alliance of Tuna Handliners from General Santos City, Philippines called on the WCPFC to act now  to save the stocks and the people who depend on them.              

The region’s longline fleets-- catching tuna for sashimi and the American albacore market – are also largely seen as being out of control and unregulated, with rampant under-reporting and illegal fishing taking place, especially in the high seas.              

“For too long the massive foreign longline fleets in the region have plundered fish with impunity. They now need to be brought under control, catches reduced, number of vessels reduced to sustainable and economical levels and the high seas pockets closed to all fishing,” said Sari Tolvanen, oceans campaigner for Greenpeace International.              

Dia added, “As a way forward, we are calling on the Philippine government to take the lead by implementing laws on capacity reduction so that our own seas will have time to recover, securing the livelihood of thousands of Filipino fishermen, and ensuring more fish for the future.”