Activists present message directly at an international seafood fair - "Time and Tuna are running out".
80 activists from 15 countries covered the stands with fishing nets, chained themselves to the stands and put up banners in 13 languages saying; 'Time and Tuna are running out'. They also stenciled the very simple "business closed" across many stands.
Not only is there no trading at all going on at the Ricardo Fuentes stand, where 30 people locked on, but trading across the fair was stopped as people flocked to the stand to see what was going on. Outside we relayed the same message to people coming into the conference.
World's largest seafood trading event
The Brussels Seafood Expo is the world's largest seafood trading event. If you want to see the world's remaining fish stocks literally served up on a plate, this is the place to come. 1,600 companies from 80 countries are trading their goods, alternatively known as global marine life.
We got our message out today directly to fish suppliers that unless fisheries go sustainable then neither those who trade in fish, nor our fish stocks, have a future.
There simply aren't enough fish left in the sea to sustain the world's voracious appetite. The world's oceans are in crisis. Some two-thirds of fish stocks are either fully exploited or overfished. Many stocks, such as Mediterranean bluefin tuna and North Sea cod are on the brink of collapse.
Fishing methods such as bottom trawling, purse seining, longlining, and industrial methods which can catch as much fish in two days as the fishers of small Pacific Island countries can catch in a year, are all threatening the sustainability and habitats of the oceans.
Much of the seafood on display at the Expo is either endangered or has been fished using destructive techniques. Or both.
Ending overfishing and destructive fishing is not only crucial to saving our marine environment, it is vital to the very survival of the fishing industry.
As we told traders today - going sustainable is the only way to ensure their business has a future. It's not rocket science. In fact it's really really simple; if you take more fish out of our oceans than can be replenished - fish stocks will collapse.
So Greenpeace has stopped trading of some of the most endangered species.
We have stopped business at Mitsubishi - the word's largest tuna trader, and at Ricardo Fuentes, who not only dominate the Med's bluefin tuna fishery but are also the biggest company involved in bluefin tuna ranching.
Dongwon is active in the Pacific - where our ship the Esperanza is currently confronting overfishing and pirate fishing, and calling for the creation of marine reserves to protect the Pacific Commons.
Consumers want sustainable fish
Consumers should not need to ask if the fish they want to buy is stolen or overfished - retailers need to ensure that no fish that reaches their shelves is stolen, or depleting the planet's future.
Greenpeace is calling for 40 percent of the world's oceans to be turned into marine reserves - national parks at sea. Marine reserves are areas closed to all extractive uses, including fishing and mining. In ocean areas that have already been protected, threatened species are returning and there is an overall increase in their variety.
Creating marine reserves will do a lot to make sustainable fishing goals achievable - and ultimately protect the future of the fishing industry.