21
May 2008 - Pacific Ocean — Finally, some
good news for tuna stocks and a first step
towards protecting the Pacific Commons for
future generations! Eight Pacific island
countries have taken the most significant
action ever to combat overfishing in the
region.
For years fishing fleets
from distant countries have plundered the
Pacific's tuna, riding roughshod over legitimate
concerns of Pacific island countries. In
December last year, Japan, Taiwan, Korea
and mainland China all blocked conservation
measures at the Western and Central Pacific
Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) meeting. And
as we have witnessed over the past two months
at sea in the Pacific Commons - their fleets
are continuing to decimate the tuna stocks
and threaten the future of Pacific livelihoods.
But the tide has turned.
New rules
With this new agreement, foreign fishing
vessels licensed to fish in the waters of
eight Pacific island countries will be banned
from fishing in two regions of the Pacific
Commons adjacent to these countries. This
is a giant stride towards these areas becoming
marine reserves and towards the protection
of Pacific tuna. This is exactly what we
have been pushing for since 2005.
The eight countries
(Parties to the Nauru Agreement) include
the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati,
Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Papua New
Guinea, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu. Most
of the tuna stocks from the Pacific, valued
at US$ 3 billion a year, come from the waters
of these countries.
Foreign fishing vessels
will also be required to retain their full
catches. This will cut the time fishing
boats spend at sea and the amount of tuna
they catch. At present they throw away non-tuna
species to make room in their holds for
the more valuable catch. It will also be
compulsory to carry fisheries observers
on board at all times. The use of fish aggregation
devices (used to attract juvenile bigeye
and yellowfin tuna) will be banned in these
countries' waters for three months of the
year. This is a conservation measure designed
to discourage harvesting of these highly
migratory species. These new rules will
take effect on 15 June, 2008.
Our ship Esperanza has
been in these areas for the last seven weeks
highlighting this issue. During this time
we have taken action against fishing fleets
from Taiwan, Korea, the US and the Philippines.
We are calling for the these areas to become
no-take marine reserves and - politicians
willing - that will become a reality before
the year is out.
Will we see similar
protection of other tuna fisheries? We're
working on it. Our ship Arctic Sunrise is
on a three-month tour of the Mediterranean
demanding protection for the tuna fisheries
there as well -- and marine reserves are
the answer again.
Protecting the Pacific
Commons would be the first step toward achieving
our overall campaign goal: to protect 40
percent of our oceans with a global network
of marine reserves. Keeping the oceans alive
is essential to keeping our planet alive.
As global warming takes its toll on our
already stressed marine ecosystems, we need
to protect the most vulnerable areas so
they stand a better chance of survival.
In order to ensure the world has fish in
the future, we need marine reserves now.
