Oceans Reports

Polar Oceans in Peril
...and a planet at risk

July 21, 2009

The Arctic and the Antarctic are under assault - from the impacts of rapidly accelerating climate change; from increased industrialization; and from the unchecked consumption of our planet's resources.

Assessment of the Friend of the Sea Fisheries and Aquaculture Certification Program

July 20, 2009

A variety of seafood certification schemes have developed over the past decade, all claiming that the fish that they certify have been sustainably caught or farmed and that they are the best option for consumers to purchase.

Greenpeace is of the opinion that no fully credible certification system for sustainable wild-caught seafood currently exists. So far, the challenges facing our oceans are far from being tackled and the fundamental principles of precaution and ecosystem approach are not yet incorporated into fisheries management.

Assessment of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Fisheries Certification Program

July 20, 2009

A variety of seafood certification schemes have developed over the past decade, all claiming that the fish that they certify have been sustainably caught or farmed and that they are the best option for consumers to purchase.

Greenpeace is of the opinion that no fully credible certification program for sustainable wild-caught or farmed seafood currently exists. So far, the challenges facing our oceans are far from being tackled and the fundamental principles of precaution and ecosystem approach are not yet incorporated into fisheries management.

Carting Away the Oceans - Third Update

June 30, 2009

Supermarkets feed the growing appetite for seafood in the U.S. and ring up approximately $16 billion each year in seafood sales. Consumers buy half their seafood at supermarkets, yet as our report reveals, few supermarkets meet this consumer demand with any regard for the marine environment.

Note: Scorecards updated June 30, 2009.
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Pushed to the Brink: The oceans and climate change

August 27, 2008

It is a matter of serious concern that the oceans are being systematically degraded and are in decline. The most immediate and significant threat to the oceans is overfishing and destructive fishing practices like bottom trawling. But, global warming is also having a huge impact on the health of the oceans. We have a tendency to think of climate change in terms of its impacts on land, but it also has multiple negative effects on the oceans, affecting their ability to maintain their food webs and natural ecological functions. Can the oceans survive the onslaught of global warming?

Canned tuna's hidden catch

August 13, 2008

Greenpeace UK published a canned tuna report. The ocean destruction they report on, is very similar to the ones we face here in the United States.

The UK is the second highest consumer of canned tuna in the world, consuming the equivalent of more than 700 million tins of tuna in 2006 alone. Fishing practices used by the global tuna industry are contributing to the sharp decline of populations of sea turtles, sharks, rays and other marine animals. Marketing campaigns attempt to make tuna fishing look like a quaint cottage industry, but the truth is that the tuna trade is all about big business.

Now Hear This! An Evaluation of the Impacts of Specific Anthropogenic Noise Types on Cetaceans

May 30, 2008

New types of guidelines needed to protect whales from ocean noise.

Freedom for the Seas: Now and for the Future

April 14, 2008

It is clearer today than ever before that the threats to ocean life are growing and beyond the capacity of any one nation to address alone. While in the past, we primarily spoke of overfishing or destructive fishing and their impacts on ocean life, today, climate change and its impacts on marine life must also loom large in the minds of oceans decision makers. "Freedom for the Seas: Now and for the Future" provides Greenpeace proposals on revolutionizing oceans governance.