Boats Gather in New Zealand for Endangered Southern Bluefin Tuna

["Greenbase" <greenbas@gb.greenpeace.org>]

BOATS GATHER IN NEW ZEALAND FOR ENDANGERED SOUTHERN BLUEFIN TUNA
KILL

Aboard MV Arctic Sunrise, 11 April 1997 -- Greenpeace today
condemned a new charter agreement which sees five Japanese
longliners joining New Zealand vessels fishing for the endangered
southern bluefin tuna in New Zealand waters this month. 

Five charter longliners have docked for bunkering in Auckland
over the past month in preparation for an industrial-scale
fishing operation in New Zealand's Exclusive Economic Zone. These
floating factories will specifically target the endangered
southern bluefin tuna.

Greenpeace called for the suspension of the charter agreement
between New Zealand fishing company Solander Fisheries and the
Japan New Zealand Tuna Company, and reiterated its call for a
global suspension of the bluefin tuna fishery. 
 
"The arrival of these vessels shows that the race for the last
southern bluefin tuna is on," said Cristina Mormorunni,
Greenpeace Ocean Ecology Campaigner. 

The breeding stock of Southern bluefin tuna has been reduced to
2% of its original population levels in approximately thirty
years.  The situation is so severe that the World
Conservation Congress (IUCN) recently listed southern bluefin
tuna as "critically endangered".

"Every year, thousands of kilometres of lines and millions of
hooks blanket the southern oceans.  The endangered southern
bluefin tuna and many species of albatross don't stand a chance,"
Mormorunnni added.

Conservative estimates suggest that Japanese longline fleets kill
a minimum of 44,000 albatrosses each year (Brothers, N., 1991).

The launch of Greenpeace's campaign to prevent the collapse of
the endangered southern bluefin tuna fishery by implementing a
suspension on fishers of all nations has elicited a strong
response from the Japan Tuna Federation. In a fax to Greenpeace,
Yuichiro Harada of the Federation described Greenpeace's campaign
as "inappropriate", as "Southern bluefin tuna is not endangered."
He urged Greenpeace not to proceed with its efforts.

"The Japan Tuna Federation response is illustrative of the
politics of greed which placeshort-term economic gain above the
long-term needs of the environment and people's
livelihoods.  If the fishery for southern bluefin tuna continues,
the Japan Tuna Federation will, like the New Zealand bluefin tuna
industry, be fishing itself into extinction," said
Cristina Mormorunni.

For further information:
Cristina Mormorunni on board the MV Arctic Sunrise +872 324
453810  (Inmarsat - NZ$10 a minute) or
Glyn Walters Greenpeace New Zealand (09) 630 6317 or (025) 931
363