By Atuna
Environmental NGO Greenpeace campaigned last week against the Korea’s largest fishing company Sajo Industries to protest against its presumed responsibility for the decline of Pacific tuna stocks and the indiscriminate high amount of bycatch of its tuna fleet.
At the Sajo office building in Busan, an animation was projected portraying the destructive role that, according to Greenpeace, the Korean company plays through its fishing activities.
During the stay of its flagship the Rainbow Warrior, in Busan, Greenpeace asked the South Korean government to fulfil its international obligations and the fishing industry to ‘support sustainable management of Pacific tuna Stocks’. Just last year, Korea was one of the member states that helped to derail a major proposal by Pacific island nations at the WCPFC that would have helped rescue Pacific tuna, Greenpeace stated. As a result, two key species of tuna in the region, bigeye and yellowfin, are now being overfished.
Sajo was chosen as main target of the campaign, because the company plays an important role in the decline of Pacific tuna stocks, according to Greenpeace, and the indiscriminate killing of thousands of sharks, turtles and other marine life that is hauled on board as bycatch. Some of Sajo's fishing vessels have been caught in illegal activities, Greenpeace stated. Sajo is the number three fishing company in the world, with 7 purse seiners, 79 long-liners and 2 mother ships operating in the Pacific.
“We are drawing a line against Sajo’s corporate greed.,†said Lagi Toribau, Oceans Campaigner of Greenpeace. “When our tuna is being depleted by companies to the point of collapse, it is time for governments to intervene and ensure we still have tuna left for the future.†Despite calls from scientists to reduce fish catches since 2001, record numbers of fish have been hauled out of the Pacific in the last three consecutive years, Greenpeace argues. Both an increase fleet capacity and the use of FAD’s are the main cause for this increase.