Thursday, December 20, 2012

Greenpeace - promoting sustainably caught Tuna!

Coles Tuna - after hand-caught now FAD-free!

Bravo Greenpeace and Coles!
Coles Australia will only buy sustainably caught, i.e. FAD-free and pole-and-line caught Tuna by 2015. This is the latest in a series of big Australian supermarket chains to do so - good overview here.

And for you Dolphin-huggers.
FAD-free Tuna from the Western Pacific is also largely Dolphin-safe because this is about  Skipjack and South Pacific Albacore that do not associate with Dolphins - and even if it were Yellowfin, those from the Western Pacific  don't generally associate with Dolphins like in the Eastern Pacific.
Regarding the latter, if you have not already done so, I urge you to read David's epic posts on the matter - and if you have, read them again! :)

Incidentally and contrary to the Bigeye, both the Western Pacific Skipjack and SP Albacore are not currently being overfished - great overview here and more resources here.

But I'm digressing as always.
What I wanted to say is, helping to establish sustainable brands and markets is smart conservation - and as the market grows, the sustainably caught Tuna does not even have to cost more than the conventional one!
Everybody wins - the consumers, the Tuna, the bycatch species and ultimately the fishermen who can look forward to long term income!

Please do listen to this stellar interview.
Nathaniel Pelle is an oceans campaigner at Greenpeace Australia Pacific and he comes across as extremely well informed, fact-based, pragmatic and thus compelling.
Great stuff that also sheds a cold light on the appalling shenanigans happening within the WCPFC.

Now.
Is this a good thing, or what!
And if so, why is everybody so adamantly against doing the same for Sharks - for the meat and for the fins?

Please give it some thought - seriously!
Because in reality, it would be the exact same thing!

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