Greenpeace
shuts down tuna trading - 23 April 2008
- Brussels, Belgium — "Ladies and Gentlemen
your attention please, the Dongwon, Mitsubishi,
Moon Marine, Azzopardi and Ricardo Fuentes
stalls are now closed." That was one
message being relayed over the public address
sound system at the Brussels Seafood Expo
today, as Greenpeace closed down the stands
of five tuna suppliers - including the world's
largest, Mitsibushi.
80 activists from 15
countries covered the stands with fishing
nets, chained themselves to the stands and
put up banners in 13 languages saying; 'Time
and Tuna are running out'. They also stenciled
the very simple "business closed"
across many stands.
Not only is there no
trading at all going on at the Ricardo Fuentes
stand, where 30 people locked on, but trading
across the fair was stopped as people flocked
to the stand to see what was going on. Outside
we relayed the same message to people coming
into the conference.
The Brussels Seafood
Expo is the world's largest seafood trading
event. If you want to see the world's remaining
fish stocks literally served up on a plate,
this is the place to come. 1,600 companies
from 80 countries are trading their goods,
alternatively known as global marine life.
We got our message out
today directly to fish suppliers that unless
fisheries go sustainable then neither those
who trade in fish, nor our fish stocks,
have a future.
There simply aren't
enough fish left in the sea to sustain the
world's voracious appetite. The world's
oceans are in crisis. Some two-thirds of
fish stocks are either fully exploited or
overfished. Many stocks, such as Mediterranean
bluefin tuna and North Sea cod are on the
brink of collapse.
Fishing methods such
as bottom trawling, purse seining, longlining,
and industrial methods which can catch as
much fish in two days as the fishers of
small Pacific Island countries can catch
in a year, are all threatening the sustainability
and habitats of the oceans.
Much of the seafood
on display at the Expo is either endangered
or has been fished using destructive techniques.
Or both.
Ending overfishing and
destructive fishing is not only crucial
to saving our marine environment, it is
vital to the very survival of the fishing
industry.
As we told traders today
- going sustainable is the only way to ensure
their business has a future. It's not rocket
science. In fact it's really really simple;
if you take more fish out of our oceans
than can be replenished - fish stocks will
collapse.
So Greenpeace has stopped
trading of some of the most endangered species.
We have stopped business
at Mitsubishi - the word's largest tuna
trader, and at Ricardo Fuentes, who not
only dominate the Med's bluefin tuna fishery
but are also the biggest company involved
in bluefin tuna ranching.
Dongwon is active in
the Pacific - where our ship the Esperanza
is currently confronting overfishing and
pirate fishing, and calling for the creation
of marine reserves to protect the Pacific
Commons.
Consumers want sustainable
fish
Over 80 percent of European
consumers consider the environmental impacts
of seafood as important to their purchasing
decisions.
Greenpeace campaigns
for seafood suppliers and retailers to ensure
that they only source or buy seafood that
has come from sustainable sources, and is
not fished in destructive ways.
Our markets work across
Europe has led to many supermarkets adopting
sustainable procurement policies.
Consumers should not
need to ask if the fish they want to buy
is stolen or overfished - retailers need
to ensure that no fish that reaches their
shelves is stolen, or depleting the planet's
future.
Greenpeace is calling
for 40 percent of the world's oceans to
be turned into marine reserves - national
parks at sea. Marine reserves are areas
closed to all extractive uses, including
fishing and mining. In ocean areas that
have already been protected, threatened
species are returning and there is an overall
increase in their variety.
Creating marine reserves
will do a lot to make sustainable fishing
goals achievable - and ultimately protect
the future of the fishing industry.
