A whale shark swims in the warm water off the coast of the Philippines. According to the Australian government, around 66% of whales and other toothed cetaceans die as a result of botched attempts to use whale sharks as lures for tuna. Greenpeace is campaigning to stop the use of fishing aggregating devices (FADs) in Pacific waters. These floating devices are left in the water by fishing vessels to attract tuna. However, their usage results in the unnecessary deaths of hundreds of thousands of juvenile tuna, whales, sharks and rays every year known as by-catch.
If we want healthy oceans and ample tuna for the future, we need marine reserves and changes in the way we fish TODAY.
Have you ever stopped doing what you do for a moment and think about where you get all the things you need to live? Our Oceans. Every third breath we take comes from it. A lot of what we eat live in it. Jobs of many of our countrymen depend on it. We can’t live without our Oceans.
“Arya!” towards sustainable fishing
The Philippines, in this case, should support the call for preserving and conserving the Pacific Commons and join other Pacific Island Nations in creating a more sustainable tuna future, inevitably increasing global competitiveness in meeting the demand for more sustainably caught tuna products in the world. It is never too late to transform the industry. We are already on the right track. We just need to understand the interconnectedness of our oceans to know that saving the Pacific will secure equitable and sustainable fisheries.
A loggerhead turtle swims near a Fish Aggregation Device (FAD). As shown in the graphic, whistle-blowing footage we released http://j.mp/tXQTfk, using FADs is a destructive and unsustainable fishing method that results in the needless deaths of many marine animals, from turtles to sharks. You can help bring this terrible FAD to an end by signing our Marine Reserves petition now: http://j.mp/sKJbOf
