U.S. Lets ‘Tuna Pirates’ Off The Hook; Says Greenpeaceff

From Fiji Daily

From Environmental group Greenpeace says Chinese Taipei, Japan and the United States of America prevented stronger effective measures from being agreed to halt the overfishing of the Pacific tuna stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Oceans (WCPO).

These effective measures according to Greenpeace are to halve the catch in the WCPO, turn pockets of international waters into marine reserves and stop the transfer of fish at sea.

Greenpeace says regional scientists have warned since 2001 that overfishing is occurring on the regional tuna stocks especially bigeye and yellowfin tuna.

The comments come as the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) fourth session of the Technical Compliance Committee (TCC4) meeting concluded in Pohnpei today.

“The future of Pacific Island countries cannot be fished to death; fishing must be halved. To allow the fishing industry to destroy the last tuna stocks for the sake of short-term profits is criminal. Without fish there is no future for the Pacific people,” said Greenpeace Australia Pacific Oceans campaigner Lagi Toribau.

Toribau said political games at the meeting saw only one of the five documented pirate fishing vessels from Chinese Taipei added to the official illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) list by the WCPFC.

“Food is being stolen from the plates of the Pacific people as pirates are allowed to scourge the waters and pillage our ocean. This meeting has failed to ensure responsible fishing in the region and to take pirates to task,” added Toribau.

The WCPFC allocated the United States longline fleet 4,181 tons of bigeye tuna, but the actual catch was 5,416 tons, which is 30 per cent above their allowed limit.

“There is no excuse for the US fleet to take more than their legal share of tuna. This failure to respect treaty agreements harms US efforts to renew political partnerships in the Pacific,” said John Hocevar, Oceans Campaign Director for Greenpeace USA.

“The US government has shown leadership in this region in the past, but has been overtaken by Pacific Island Countries whose innovative conservation efforts deserve US support.”
 
Josua Turaganivalu, Greenpeace Australia Pacific Oceans Campaigner said Pacific island countries should ensure the annual Tuna Commission meeting in December agrees to stronger effective measures.

“It is time to place the responsibility of fisheries management into the hands of retailers who are more likely to take a longer view and support sustainable fishing initiatives in the Pacific,” he said.

Greenpeace advocates the creation of an effectively enforced network of marine reserves, protecting 40 per cent of the world’s oceans-with regulated, sustainable fishing in other areas-as the long term solution to overfishing and the recovery of marine life in our overexploited oceans.

WCPO is the convention area managed by the Tuna Commission (WCPFC).