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Greenpeace divers in the Mediterranean Sea hold an underwater banner asking where have all the tuna gone.
Enlarge imageMarine
ecosystems are finely balanced and self-sustaining. Overfishing one
species breaks the natural order and places other dependent species at
risk. This creates a chain of damage that may eventually affect the
biodiversity of the whole ocean.
Scientists are warning that overfishing results in profound changes in our oceans, perhaps changing them forever. Not to mention our dinner plates, which in future may only feature fish and chips as a rare and expensive delicacy.
Warnings are now being made about the Western and Central Pacific Ocean, the world’s largest tuna fishery. It is one of the last relatively healthy fisheries left in the world. However, bigeye and yellowfin tuna are now being fished at unsustainable levels that threaten the future viability of these stocks.
The modern fishing reality is dominated by industrial fishing vessels that far out-match nature's ability to replenish fish. Super-sized fishing vessels using state-of-the-art fish finding sonar and helicopters or spotter planes can pinpoint schools of fish quickly and accurately.
These vessels also have fish processing and packing plants, huge freezing systems, fishmeal processing plants and powerful engines to drag enormous fishing gear through the ocean.
In many cases, regulation of these fishing vessels is woefully inadequate – fish stocks are plummeting and little regard is paid to the resulting impact on marine ecosystems. Many species are being fished to commercial extinction with more on the way.
In regions such as the Western and Central Pacific, the situation is made worse by illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) pirate fishing boats that take as much fish as they like, despite any regulations.
Greenpeace is working in the Western and Central Pacific to promote solutions to overfishing and pirate fishing.
Scientists are warning that overfishing results in profound changes in our oceans, perhaps changing them forever. Not to mention our dinner plates, which in future may only feature fish and chips as a rare and expensive delicacy.
Warnings are now being made about the Western and Central Pacific Ocean, the world’s largest tuna fishery. It is one of the last relatively healthy fisheries left in the world. However, bigeye and yellowfin tuna are now being fished at unsustainable levels that threaten the future viability of these stocks.
The modern fishing reality is dominated by industrial fishing vessels that far out-match nature's ability to replenish fish. Super-sized fishing vessels using state-of-the-art fish finding sonar and helicopters or spotter planes can pinpoint schools of fish quickly and accurately.
These vessels also have fish processing and packing plants, huge freezing systems, fishmeal processing plants and powerful engines to drag enormous fishing gear through the ocean.
In many cases, regulation of these fishing vessels is woefully inadequate – fish stocks are plummeting and little regard is paid to the resulting impact on marine ecosystems. Many species are being fished to commercial extinction with more on the way.
In regions such as the Western and Central Pacific, the situation is made worse by illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) pirate fishing boats that take as much fish as they like, despite any regulations.
Greenpeace is working in the Western and Central Pacific to promote solutions to overfishing and pirate fishing.
