Crunch Time for Tuna

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

CRUNCH TIME FOR ENDANGERED TUNA

Canberra Thursday 19 February 1998  --  Japan's actions at a
meeting in Canberra today could push the critically endangered
southern bluefin tuna another step closer to extinction,
Greenpeace warned. 

The Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna
(CCSBT) is meeting for the third time to set the 1998 tuna quota
for its members - Japan, Australia and New Zealand. The previous
two attempts failed to set a quota because of  Japan's hardline
demand for a 3000 tonne increase and plans to introduce an
experimental fishing program.

Greenpeace warned that the Japanese Government's opposition to
conservation measures for southern bluefin tuna could set the
species on an irreversible path to extinction, and lead to the
demise of the CCSBT. Japan has already threatened to quit the
commission.

"Southern bluefin tuna is being hunted to extinction," said
Greenpeace campaigner Darren Gladman. "Japan, which is the major
fishing nation for southern bluefin tuna and its major consumer,
is now demanding even more quota. How low do the stocks of
southern bluefin tuna have to get before the fishery is
suspended?"

Stocks of southern bluefin tuna are so severely depleted that in
1996 the World Conservation Union listed the species as
"critically endangered" and placed it on its Red List of
endangered species alongside the Black Rhinoceros and Mountain
Gorilla.

Australian Government scientists have predicted that if the
current level of fishing continues there is a greater than 50%
likelihood that spawning stocks will be reduced to zero by the
year 2020. If Japan's demand for a 3000 tonne increase is
granted, that likelihood increases to 75%. 

"The CCSBT has been unable to fulfil its role of conserving the
southern bluefin tuna," said Gladman.  "If Japan, Australia and
New Zealand are unable to agree on measures to rebuild southern
bluefin tuna stocks and stem the increase in global fishing for
the species, then the CCSBT will go down in history as the body
which drove its target species to extinction."

ends

Greenpeace on the Internet at http://www.greenpeace.org