GREENPEACE APPLAUDS BOLD PACIFIC PROPOSAL TO CREATE THE FIRST MARINE RESERVES IN INTERNATIONAL WATERS
Pacific Ocean, 21 May 2008: Greenpeace is applauding the eight Pacific island countries (1) who have taken the boldest action ever at a meet in Palau to halt tuna overfishing and steps to create the world’s first marine reserves in international waters. New rules will apply to all vessels fishing for tuna in the region. Tuna vessels licensed to fish in the waters of the eight countries will be banned from also fishing in the international waters. It will be compulsory to carry fisheries observers on board at all times. These new rules will take effect on 15
June 2008.
"This is an historic moment for the Pacific, its people, marine life and future food security and goes to show the whole world what can be achieved when countries work together for the common good of all", said Lagi Toribau Greenpeace Australia Pacific Oceans Campaigner on board the Esperanza.
All countries that have vessels fishing for tuna in the region have been warned since 2001 that bigeye and yellowfin tuna are suffering from overfishing. Last December, Japan, Taiwan, Korea and mainland China and
all blocked conservation measures advocated by Pacific island countries at the Western and Central Fisheries Commission to protect bigeye and yellowfin tuna stocks.
"Distant nations who fish in the region like Japan, Taiwan, Korea and mainland China that have formally resisted the protection of the region’s tuna need to respect this bold move and adopt similar measures," said Toribau.
The Greenpeace ship Esperanza has been in these areas for the last seven weeks highlighting the overfishing of bigeye and yellowfin tuna. During their time at sea, the activists have taken direct non-violent action
against fishing fleets from Taiwan, Korea, the US and the Philippines. Greenpeace has been calling for the closures of the areas to fishing and creation of marine reserves for two years.
"It is time for fishing nations to realise that if they want fish tomorrow, we need marine reserves today. Decades of over-exploitation has now reduced some of the tuna stocks in the Pacific to just 15 percent of what they were and impacts of destructive fishing practices on sharks, turtles and other marine life have been huge. We simply have to start creating areas for marine life to flourish and replenish, if the fishing industry and the Pacific are to have a long-term future", said Sari Tolvanen of Greenpeace International.
The 9th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), now begun in Bonn, Germany, will discuss whether to adopt criteria to identify marine areas in need of protection, as well as guidance on designing a representative global network of marine protected areas and marine reserves.
"The decision coming out of the meeting in Palau provides a clear example to governments attending the CBD that if the political will is there, then action can be taken now. Greenpeace hopes that the rest of the world will support this bold proposal and ensure that these areas will be officially closed by the end of the year", said Greenpeace International Political Adviser Nathalie Rey.
"Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity have committed to create a world-wide network of marine protected areas by 2012. There are none in the international waters yet and less than 1 percent of the
world’s oceans are adequately protected. Implementation of this commitment can start now and these areas can be officially protected this year," said Rey.
Greenpeace advocates the creation of a network of marine reserves, protecting 40 per cent of the world’s oceans, as the long term solution to overfishing and the recovery of our overexploited oceans.
Notes:
(1) Parties to the Nauru Agreement: Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu
(2) http://www.greenpeace.org/pacific_marine_reserves_map
