Longliners Depart Auckland for Endangered Southern Bluefin Tuna

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

LONGLINERS DEPART AUCKLAND FOR ENDANGERED SOUTHERN BLUEFIN TUNA
FISHERY 

Aboard MV Arctic Sunrise, New Zealand waters, 16 April 1997 -- The 
Japanese longliner Koshin Maru No. 28 and the re-supply vessel
Japan  Tuna No. 3 departed Auckland yesterday for the southern
bluefin  tuna fishery, as Greenpeace stepped up its 24 hour
monitoring of  three similar vessels off the east coast of the
South Island. 

Five Japanese longliners chartered by the New Zealand companies 
Solanders, Talleys and Sanfords 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.

The Greenpeace ship MV Arctic Sunrise is documenting the longlining 
operations of three vessels off the east coast of the South Island, 
using inflatables and the ship's helicopte

"The departure of these vessels to join the longliners already at
sea  shows that the race for the last southern bluefin tuna is on,"
said  Cristina Mormorunni, Greenpeace Ocean Ecology Campaigner. 
"Greenpeace will stay at sea monitoring the fishery for as long as
is  necessary to expose its destructive practices."

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 Union 
(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," Mormorunni
added.

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

Greenpeace has called for the suspension of the charter agreement 
between the New Zealand fishing companies and the New Zealand Japan 
Tuna Company, and reiterated its call for a global suspension o the
Southern bluefin tuna fishery. 

For further information: Cristina Mormorunni on board the MV Arctic 
Sunrise 00872 130 2577 (Inmarsat NZ$15 a minute) or Glyn Walters on 
(09) 630 6317 or (025) 931 363.

Aerial pictures of the MV Arctic Sunrise documenting the fishery
this  morning are available from Fotopress in Auckland.
Glyn 

Phone +64 9 630 6317 or +64 25 931 363
email: Glyn.Walters@dialb.greenpeace.org