Greenpeace seeks support from ‘fishing powers’

MANILA, Philippines - Environmentalists have sought conservation commitments from countries dubbed as “fishing powers” in the upcoming global summit on Pacific tuna fisheries that the Philippines will host next week.               

Greenpeace said tuna mascots carrying banners with messages “Support tuna conservation” and “Help end tuna overfishing” demonstrated in front of the embassies of South Korea, Japan, the US, as well as in the representative offices of the European Union and Taiwan.               

Lagi Toribau, Oceans Campaigner for Greenpeace International, said more than 30 countries from Oceania, Asia, the Americas and Europe will attend the high-level conference of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) from Dec. 2 to 6.               

“Pacific tuna fishing powers must act now to recover Pacific tuna stocks from the brink of collapse,” Toribau said.               

“They need to agree to a full closure of the Pacific commons-sensitive areas, as well as ban the use of destructive fish aggregating devices associated with purse seine fisheries, so that the Pacific can continue feeding future generations with tuna.”                

More than 60 percent of the world’s tuna comes from the Western and Central Pacific.  Scientists have warned that stocks in this area are under threat from massive overfishing. 

Yellowfin and bigeye tuna are already under immense pressure due to overfishing and the use of wasteful fishing techniques that lay waste to juvenile tuna and other marine life such as sharks and turtles.               

The Philippines is a regular cooperating member of the WCPFC.

The country’s tuna industry is heavily dependent on the supply of tuna caught in the Pacific.               

Fishing powers like South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, the US, and the EU have opposed strong management and conservation measures in the region at the previous WCPFC meeting last March.               

“Fishing industries from Korea, Japan, US, the EU, Taipei, as well as the Philippines, are in danger of fishing themselves out of business,” said Mark Dia, regional oceans campaigner for Greenpeace Southeast Asia.               

“This tuna stock decline can be reversed by a significant reduction in fishing capacity, abandoning destructive techniques and by creating marine reserves in parts of the Pacific so that stocks can recover.”               

For years, Greenpeace has been working with Pacific governments to address overfishing and prevent foreign fishing powers from plundering their fishing grounds.

The environmental group is calling for marine reserves to be established in four high seas pockets known as the Pacific Commons, and for these to be declared off-limits to fishing. 

At the upcoming meeting, it is also seeking a ban on the use of fish aggregating devices in purse seine fisheries and a 50 percent reduction in the catch of bigeye tuna.                

Greenpeace is campaigning for a global network of marine reserves covering 40 percent of the world’s oceans and for a more sustainable fishing industry – two necessary steps to restoring oceans to health.               

The group is also working with retailers and tuna brands across Europe, the Americas and the Asia-Pacific to increase the market share of sustainably sourced tuna. 

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said the high compliance in the fishing ban for tamban fish has paved the way for the Philippines to be granted a permit to fish for tuna. Asis Perez, BFAR national director, said the WCPFC  has imposed a tuna fishing ban in the high seas, and out of the 28 nations only the Philippines was given permit to fish.

Perez said with the permit, the tuna fishing industry has already fished some 7,000 metric tons for this period and expects some 60,000 metric tons of tuna every year.

The Philippines is expected to be given anew a permit to venture in tuna fishing when the tuna commission meets in Manila tomorrow, he added. – With Roel Pareño