{"id":1143,"date":"2014-12-02T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-12-01T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/master.k8s.p4.greenpeace.org\/philippines\/press\/1143\/greenpeace-expose-juvenile-baby-tuna-catch-in-philippine-tuna-industry\/"},"modified":"2019-11-06T17:05:09","modified_gmt":"2019-11-06T09:05:09","slug":"greenpeace-expose-juvenile-baby-tuna-catch-in-philippine-tuna-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/philippines\/press\/1143\/greenpeace-expose-juvenile-baby-tuna-catch-in-philippine-tuna-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"Greenpeace expose juvenile \u2018baby\u2019 tuna catch in Philippine tuna industry"},"content":{"rendered":"
Manila Philippines \u2013 Greenpeace today released the results of an investigation into juvenile bycatch, showing evidence that \u2018baby\u2019 skipjack, yellowfin and bigeye tuna are unloaded regularly at the General Santos fish port. The investigation was carried out in the lead up to the annual meeting of tuna stakeholders at the 11th Western and Central Pacific Commission (WCPFC) meeting, currently being held in Apia, Samoa.<\/p>\n

Greenpeace compiled evidence that confirmed juvenile \u2018baby\u2019 yellowfin and bigeye tuna are being traded at substantially less than the average size at maturity of 1 meter in length, and even below the weight limit of 500g, set by Fisheries Administrative Order (FAO) 226, which allows the catching and trading of juvenile tunas as small as 500 grams in weight or just tens of centimeters long [1]. Bigeye and yellowfin tuna are considered mature and able to reproduce when they are about a meter long.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"Save<\/p>\n

A few months ago, the WCPFC Scientific Committee released information that the current\u00a0population of the Pacific bluefin tuna is now estimated to be only at 4.2%, and bigeye tuna at 16%\u00a0of its original spawning biomass [2].<\/p>\n

\u201cThe world\u2019s tuna stocks are in decline and nothing is being done to stop the catching of baby\u00a0tunas \u2013 which are vital in keeping the fisheries alive. This is a direct result of the continued\u00a0expansion of fishing fleets, and increasing fishing capacity and effort especially through the use of\u00a0fish aggregating devices, or FADs, by purse seine vessels,\u201d said Mark Dia, Regional Oceans\u00a0Campaigner for Greenpeace Southeast Asia, and an observer at the WCPFC. \u201cDespite the red\u00a0alert on bigeye tuna, fishing companies continue to fish them like there\u2019s no tomorrow. It is time\u00a0for the WCPFC to tackle unchecked overfishing and demand that member countries like the\u00a0Philippines take proactive measures to arrest this alarming decline in the stocks. Failure to do so\u00a0only relegates the WCPFC to an expensive talk shop,\u201d added Dia.<\/p>\n

Fish aggregating devices, locally known as payaos, are fishing devices that continuously attract\u00a0fish and other ecologically related species. When used together with purse seine nets, the\u00a0catches can be as high as 100% juvenile tuna [3], together with endangered turtles and sharks[4].<\/p>\n

Although the WCPFC has already imposed a four-month FAD ban in the high seas, Greenpeace\u00a0said this is not enough. Backed by strong scientific evidence, the environmental group said any\u00a0use of FADs by purse seine fleets is simply unacceptable.<\/p>\n

Philippine fishing communities are also in favor of banning the use of purse seine on FADs. Small\u00a0scale fishers who use selective or low impact fishing gear argue that they simply cannot compete\u00a0with commercial fishing fleets that regularly use FADs which end up depleting fishing grounds,\u00a0adding to local fishers\u2019 woes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are no more fish left for us to catch, even within our municipal waters. These purse\u00a0seiners with their FADs rob us of our fish catch and take away everything, including baby fishes,\u201d\u00a0said Pablo Rosales, National Chairperson of Pangisda Pilipinas. \u201cWhat\u2019s worse is that our own\u00a0Philippine government has a promotion policy on FADs. If nothing is done to stop FAD use with\u00a0unsustainable fishing gear, then we will be fished out of existence.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSix years after issuance of Fisheries Administrative Order 226 to protect tuna, and in the light of\u00a0amendments to the Fisheries Code, it is time for the Philippine government to strengthen the law\u00a0and ensure it\u2019s fully enforced,\u201d said Vince Cinches, Greenpeace Philippines Oceans Campaigner.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we want the Philippine tuna industry to have a future, we should only allow fishing capacity that\u00a0does not deplete fishing grounds, and ensure fair and sustainable fishing for both small-scale and\u00a0commercial fisheries. The government should also provide much needed protection for tuna\u00a0spawning grounds within Philippines waters. \u201d<\/p>\n

Greenpeace and fisherfolk are demanding that the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources\u00a0(BFAR) urgently reduce the number of purse seiners, to align with sustainable catch levels and\u00a0allow overfished bigeye and other tuna stocks to recover. To tackle bycatch of juvenile bigeye\u00a0and yellowfin tuna, the BFAR must also ban the use of fish aggregating devices (FADS) by\u00a0vessels using unselective fishing gears such as purse seine nets, and create a fisheries\u00a0administrative order that prevents the catching, landing and selling of juvenile tuna. Together,\u00a0these measures present an effective strategy to conserve the dwindling tuna stocks.<\/p>\n

Notes to the editor:<\/strong><\/p>\n

[1] Greenpeace Southeast Asia Briefing Paper: Greenpeace uncovers trade in juvenile tuna in\u00a0General Santos Fish Port, December 2014.
\n<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Video links:
\nJuvenile Tuna Trading in General Santos Fish Port Exposed [Part 1]\u00a0<\/a>
\nJuvenile Tuna Trading in General Santos Fish Port Exposed [Part 2]\u00a0<\/a>
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

[2] WCPFC (2014). Summary Report. Scientific Committee Tenth Regular Session, 6\u201314 Aug\u00a02013, Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands.\u00a0<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

[3] Report of the Second WPEA Philippines NSAP Data Review Workshop<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

[4] Greenpeace Briefing Paper for WCPFC11\u00a0<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

[5] Greenpeace is calling on the WCPFC to ban FADs, close the High Seas, and ban transhipping\u00a0of tuna in the high seas- a practice that enables fleets to hide illegal fishing, labor abuse, shark\u00a0finning and other illicit practices<\/em><\/p>\n

For more information:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mark Dia<\/em>
\nRegional Oceans Campaigner for Greenpeace Southeast Asia<\/em>
\nEmail: mark.dia@greenpeace.org<\/a>