Turkish fishermen fishing with a purse seine net transfer live bluefin tuna from the fishing net to a transport cage before transporting the fish back to fish farms in Turkey. There the tuna are fattened before being sold to the Japanese market.
During this time the Esperanza has been to some of the main
tunafishing grounds in the region, including the Balearic Islands
and thewaters north of Egypt and south of Turkey. Greenpeace has
documentedthe activity of some of the most important fishing fleets
in theMediterranean (2) and spoken with the captains of these
vessels. Allthe evidence confirms the desperate state of the
fishery in the wholeregion.
"A month ago we asked the question: Where have all the tuna
gone? Well,now we know the answer - we may be witnessing the
collapse of thebluefin tuna stock from the Mediterranean Sea," said
Sebastián Losadaof Greenpeace Spain aboard the Esperanza. "Massive
overfishing over thepast decade by greedy companies has brought
about this crisis, and theInternational Commission for the
Conservation of Atlantic Tunas(ICCAT),
charged with regulating the industry, has proved to be
completely unable to enforce the rules".
In May, Greenpeace published a report (3) which drew the
world'sattention to the serious depletion of bluefin tuna in the
MediterraneanSea and demonstrating that up to 45,000 tonnes of tuna
may have beencaught each year in 2004 and 2005, despite the fact
that only 32,000tonnes can be caught legally. During the past month
the fishermenGreenpeace has spoken to admitted that quotas are not
respected andthat there is no effective control over the
fishery.
Greenpeace is calling on the countries of the Mediterranean to
protectbluefin tuna with marine reserves in their breeding and
feeding areas.They would become part of a global network of marine
parks across 40%of the world's oceans that are needed to give the
oceans a chance torecover from decades of large-scale industrial
exploitation.
"It is indisputable that neither Governments nor ICCAT are in
aposition to enforce fisheries regulations in the region and that,
asthe evidence indicates, bluefin tuna may be on the brink of
collapse",said Sebastián Losada. "The fishery should be closed
until newmanagement measures that guarantee the future of the
fishery are put inplace (4) - otherwise it will be finished for
good."
Other evidence of the mismanagement of the fishery documented
byGreenpeace includes Japanese longliners fishing south of Sicily
in themonth of June, when longline fishing for bluefin tuna is
prohibited,and the transhipment of catches at sea which provides an
open door forillegal catches to reach the market without being
properly controlled.(5)
"The situation is cause for grave concern wherever we've been
to. TheEsperanza spent a week with the French and Spanish fleets
and theydidn't find a single bluefin tuna. The Turkish fleet is
concerned aboutthe declining size of the fish they catch, and they
have only beenfishing this area for five years". Said François
Provost of GreenpeaceFrance. "Sadly it seems the fishing industry
has learnt nothing fromthe collapse of cod or the western
population of bluefin tuna - theyare simply repeating past mistakes
in a rush to catch the last fish,"Provost concluded.
Greenpeace is an independent campaigning organisation that
usesnon-violent creative confrontation to expose global
environmentalproblems to drive solutions that are essential to a
green and peacefulfuture.
VVPR info: Sebastián Losada, oceans campaigner, Greenpeace Spain - phone +34 626 998 254François Provost, oceans campaigner, Greenpeace France - phone +33 623 590 963Karli Thomas, oceans campaigner, Greenpeace International - phone +31 6 4605 5298Greenpeace International photo desk: Franca Michienzi, phone +31 653 819 255Greenpeace International video desk: Maarten van Rouveroy, phone +31 653819 255
Notes: (1) The Greenpeace ship Esperanza is currently on a 14-month global expedition 'Defending Our Oceans', the most ambitious ship expedition ever undertaken by the organisation. The expedition has so far exposed the threats to the oceans such as whaling in the Southern Ocean and pirate fishing in West Africa, and documented the beauty of deep-sea habitats around the Azores.(2) The Esperanza has documented the activities of the French, Spanish and Turkish tuna fleets, as well as towing operations between Libya and Italy, and tuna cages in Cyprus.(3) Greenpeace, May 2006 Where have all the tuna gone?Full report available at: http://oceans.greenpeace.org/tuna-report/Executive summary at: http://oceans.greenpeace.org/tuna-summary/(4) Greenpeace demands to ICCAT, before the fishery can be safely reopened:- Marine reserves to protect the breeding and feeding grounds of bluefin tuna- A recovery program that includes a substantial reduction in the bluefin tuna quota, and marine reserves to protect the breeding grounds of the species- A minimum landing size that matches the sexual maturity of the species- An extension of the seasonal closure of the fishery to guarantee a strong, immediate and enforceable decrease in the fishing effort- Independent observers on tuna fishing vessels and in tuna farms to record and report the catch to ensure that under-sized fish are not caught and the quota is not exceeded, and provide the information needed to sustainably manage the fishery.(5) The Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior documented the activity of eight to nine Japanese longliners operating south of Sicily (around 32 º 35.34 N, 29º 48.89 E) on 6 June 2006. On 17 June 2006 the Greenpeace ship Esperanza found the ex-longliner "206 Melissa", flagged to Guinea Conakry, in position 36º 12.67 N, 31º 41.67 E - south of Turkey. The crew of the vessel declared that they were operating as a reefer, receiving bluefin tuna from fishing vessels in the area.