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Greenpeace activists protest outside the Japanese embassy in Bangkok, calling on Japan to vote in favour of measures to protect marine species. The protest took place as delegates meet in Bangkok for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Some 166 nations are participating in the meeting that will end on 14 October. Japan has consistently sidestepped motions to implement protection measures for marine wildlife.
Enlarge ImageA dozen activists of various nationalities displayed a banner reading, Japan: Don't empty our oceans. The activists wore "nemo" fish hats and delivered a letter to the ambassador of Japan highlighting the plight of the world's oceans and Japan's role in their exploitation.
During the second week of the CITES meeting being held in Bangkok, governments will vote on placing various marine species including the great white shark and humphead wrasse on Appendix II of the Convention. Greenpeace is also seeking to uphold the listing of Minke whales on Appendix I, which Japan has proposed to downlist to Appendix II. So far the Japanese government has spoken against these listings and has encouraged a number of other governments, including a number of countries from both the eastern Caribbean and Africa, to take a similar stance.
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation around 75% of the world's fisheries are classified as fully exploited, overexploited, depleted or recovering from depletion. Recent scientific studies reveal that 90% of all large fish have disappeared from the world's oceans in the past 50 years.
"The government of Japan continues to treat the world's oceans as though there is no tomorrow. Their unsustainable fisheries industries are only looking out for their own interests and refuse to accept the fact that the seas are suffering from over-exploitation. They must vote to ensure that short-term profit does not continue to empty our oceans," concluded Birch.
Greenpeace is an independent campaigning organisation that uses non-violent, creative confrontation to expose global environmental problems and to force solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future.
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Notes to Editor
(1) CITES is the Convention on international trade of endangered species and was established to regulate and control trade in endangered species. It provides three regulatory options in the form of Appendices. Animals and plants listed under Appendix I are excluded from international commercial trade except in very special circumstances. Commercial trade is permitted for species listed under Appendix II but it is strictly controlled on the basis of CITES permits or certificates. Appendix III includes species that are protected within the borders of a member country.
