Belgium: Greenpeace activists bring halt to seafood exposition

Greenpeace activists halt tuna trading at European Seafood Exposition

Eighty Greenpeace activists from 15 countries have closed down the stands of five large tuna suppliers at the European Seafood Exposition. Greenpeace is calling on the companies to stop trading in threatened bluefin, yellowfin and bigeye tuna and other unsustainably-caught tuna until stocks recover.

Time running out
Activists covered the stands with fishing nets, chained themselves to the stands and put up banners in 13 languages saying; 'Time and Tuna running out'. A large banner with the same message was hung from the front of the building. A message was also broadcast through the exhibition halls' public address systems urging traders to buy only sustainably-caught seafood.

"These companies are major players in the tuna industry and are jointly destroying tuna stocks by overfishing and using destructive fishing methods", said Sebastian Losada, Greenpeace Spain Oceans Campaigner. "Blatant overfishing will lead to commercial extinction of many tuna stocks in the near future unless urgent action is taken."

"Tuna stocks are at a critically low level with too many vessels fishing for too few fish. High levels of bycatch of other marine life is a serious problem", said Losada. "If the industry doesn't shift towards sustainable seafood there will simply be no fish left to trade, and their businesses will be closed forever."

Sustainable seafood
Last year, Greenpeace attended the Seafood Exposition to call on companies to trade in sustainable seafood only. Since then, Greenpeace has been contacting leading retailers and bulk users of seafood to ask them to ensure what they sell is legal, sustainable and fair. Nina Thuellen, Greenpeace International Seafood Markets Campaigner: "Greenpeace is disappointed to see that while some retailers are now in the process of implementing sustainable seafood policies there remains a very high volume of unsustainable seafood on offer at this important trade show."

Meanwhile, the Greenpeace ship Esperanza is in the Pacific Ocean, taking action against overfishing and calling for the creation of marine reserves. Fishing vessels involved in unsustainable, unfair and sometimes even illegal tuna fishing in the region are damaging the tuna stocks and are threatening the future of the Pacific Island States that depend on tuna for their livelihoods and food.

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.

More info
www.greenpeace.org