WORLD TUNA DAY, MAY 2ndff

PNA Leaders ask World Community to join in Celebration

Source: PNA Press Release

PNA Ministers, in the 78^th FFC Ministerial Meeting in Apia, Samoa, have announced that from next year on they will celebrate WORLD TUNA DAY on MAY 2^nd as an Annual World Event.

The ministers call on countries and communities,  including tuna fishing industry players, processors and retailers, NGO’s, community-based organizations and health conscious individuals all over the world to follow their example and join them each year during this date to celebrate the wonders of TUNA.

The PNA, being the world’s largest resource owner of healthy tuna, has vowed to take the lead in calling the world’s attention once a year for this magnificent resource – to celebrate all the advantages and importance tuna has been able to contribute to food security, nutrition and poverty alleviation in developing countries and the trade of this important resource between the developing and developed countries, to enjoy what is  probably one of the healthiest foods provided by our planet, high in protein and Omega 3, and low in fat; eaten all over the world, as sashimi, on sushi, as a grilled steak or canned tuna, in salads, sandwiches or pizza.

PNA leaders call, out of respect to our planet, to our forefathers who were the guardians, who have passed on this beautiful nutritious species to us, and towards future generations to whom we hold the obligations to preserve this species, to consume, fish and process tuna in a sustainable way, so that many generations after us will be able to benefit from it as one of the world’s most popular seafood, contributing to a healthy diet, helping to prevent heart disease.

WORLD TUNA DAY should put tuna in the spotlight, highlighting the need to address conservation “Time for only researching on what is going wrong, has run out”. Governments and companies will need to take far reaching steps now to the world to conserve tuna stocks without any delay.”

The PNA countries want to show global tuna leadership by celebrating WORLD TUNA DAY each year on MAY 2^nd -bringing to the attention of all those over the globe enjoying the wonderful taste and health advantages of tuna- that they will realize that we will all need to start buying only tuna which is caught and processed in sustainable ways, so we -as human race- and our planet will be able to co-exist together forever! If we, as people all over the world, celebrate and conserve together we will see tuna sustained and enjoyed for generations to come.

This is especially of great significance for the people of the 8 Pacific Islands States that form the PNA, for whom tuna has a key role in their existence, economy and national income.