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Marshall Islands workers at a fish packing plant prepares marlin and swordfish to export to the US and Japan.
Enlarge imageThe Pacific is home to the world's largest tuna fishery, with 60% of the world's tuna - that's over 2 million tonnes - coming from the region. Industrial fishing fleets that have decimated and almost destroyed their own fisheries worldwide have now descended on the Pacific.
Tuna is heavily fished here and there are real concerns that their populations will go into a downward spiral that will make recovery difficult.
Scientific authorities are now expressing strong concerns regarding the sustainability of key Pacific tuna stocks. In particular, scientists have warned that bigeye and yellowfin tuna are subject to overfishing and that fishing levels of these species must be cut immediately.
Greenpeace is pushing for a 50% cut in tuna fishing in the Pacific to allow tuna populations to recover.
Reducing tuna fishing is part of the answer, other achievable solutions that will bring about sustainable fishing are:
Tuna is heavily fished here and there are real concerns that their populations will go into a downward spiral that will make recovery difficult.
Scientific authorities are now expressing strong concerns regarding the sustainability of key Pacific tuna stocks. In particular, scientists have warned that bigeye and yellowfin tuna are subject to overfishing and that fishing levels of these species must be cut immediately.
Greenpeace is pushing for a 50% cut in tuna fishing in the Pacific to allow tuna populations to recover.
Reducing tuna fishing is part of the answer, other achievable solutions that will bring about sustainable fishing are:
- Creating large marine reserves in the Pacific Commons - the international waters that are sandwiched between Pacific nations that will protect tuna spawning areas and migration routes.
- Closing pirate fishing loopholes and banning all transfers of fish and refuelling at sea.
- Using sustainable methods to catch tuna.
