Transforming Tuna Fisheries in the Pacific

A Public Briefing
August 2013

Tuna Fisheries in the Pacific

The Western and Central Pacific has the worlds largest and richest tuna fishery. It supplies over 60% of all tuna consumed globally. The value of tuna sourced from this region is over $5.5 billion annually. Unfortunately, most of the profits are not reaching the small island economies from which the tuna is sourced. This is due to the domination by foreign industrial fishing fleets operating in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean. These fleets give paltry returns back to Pacific Island countries in the form of access fees and take away the bulk of the earnings.

The Greenpeace vision

Sustainable and equitable tuna fisheries are needed if we are to prevent a tuna crisis in the Pacific. Now more than ever, sustainable and locally owned tuna fisheries need to be supported. A shift away from the large-scale industrial model of fishing currently promoted, pursued and dominated by big wealthy countries and their corporations towards a model that promotes environmentally sustainable and socially responsible smaller-scale vessels and operations is needed.

Greenpeace / Paul Hilton

Most of the tuna fishing has been done by foreign vessels paying access fees to island countries to catch fish in their waters. Those fees usually amount to a mere 5-6% of the landed value of the fish.

Small-scale tuna fisheries could be operated in many of the regions coastal communities, resulting in greater economic benefits to Pacific Island countries and communities. Government support is crucial for ensuring this vision becomes a reality. In particular, governments must develop fisheries management and social policies that protect the resource and favour smaller-scale and home-grown fishing businesses.

The need for transformation

There is increasing support among Pacific Island countries to transform the regions tuna fisheries to an alternative model. This model would see more locals and communities participate in the fisheries and associated activities thus providing more jobs, livelihoods and socio-economic benefits for the region. Over the last 50 years, the regions tuna fishery has been dominated by large industrial fleets from the European Union, Japan, Taiwan, China, Korea and the United States. These fleets have robbed the Pacific of its wealth and driven tuna stocks down and catches up to unsustainable levels. Now is the time for Pacific Island countries to take action before their valuable fisheries are driven to collapse. Poor oceans mean a poor future for Pacific Island countries.
Greenpeace / Alex Hofford

Greenpeace / Paul Hilton

An alternative model
Smaller-scale vessels provide far greater benefits to Pacific Island countries than larger industrial boats. They can be locally built, owned, operated and maintained by the island states, bringing the profits generated from their activities into the local economy. Having fishing vessels built and based locally creates multiplier effects in the economy through employment and other businesses needed to service and supply their operations. Local owners and investors have a greater stake in the long-term sustainable management of fisheries resources than the distant water large-scale industrial fleets that have moved to the Pacific after overfishing and maximising short-term gains in other ocean areas.

Here at Safcol we led the way in Australia by being the first company to move our entire tuna range to responsibly caught tuna. This was an obvious choice for us to ensure the sustainability of the industry. We encourage coastal states to develop locally-based, sustainable industries to meet their own goals and the wishes of our customers.
(Safcol, 2013)

Greenpeace / Natalie Behring

Markets paving the way toward transformation

The marketplace for tuna has changed in recent years, and an ever-increasing number of tuna brands, traders and retailers are making a policy of sourcing and trading tuna from sustainable fisheries. More recently, leading companies have begun to seek out tuna from fisheries operating in ways that is both environmentally sustainable and socially responsible. In important canned tuna markets like Australia and the UK, all major brands and retailers have committed to buying only responsibly sourced tuna like pole and line and free-school purse seine. Large companies like Safeway in the US and Mareblu in the EU have followed suit. This equates to thousands of tonnes per year of extra demand for responsibly sourced tuna. Smaller-scale tuna fisheries generating economic development in coastal island communities can take advantage of this growing retail demand and have great potential to make up a significant portion of the fishery into the future.

One of the modes of tuna fishing that is more socially and ecologically sustainable and is encouraged by Greenpeace is the pole and line method. This mode of fishing ensures very little bycatch, and creates more employment than purse seine fishing as it requires large fishing crews, meaning more employment opportunities for local people. Currently the majority of locally caught pole and line tuna is supplied by Indonesia and the Maldives with the former quickly expanding its production. Pacific Island countries should move quickly to enter the marketplace for responsibly sourced tuna.

At Sirena, not only do we believe it is important to look after fish stocks, we also feel it is vital to support the people who go fishing. We support, and our customers demand, fisheries that are sustainable as well as fair. We encourage coastal states to move toward a model that uses responsible methods and provides for local fishing communities.
(Sirena, 2013)

Greenpeace / Daniel M Ocampo

Greenpeace / Paul Hilton

Global Industrial and Small-scale Marine Fisheries Compared

Large-scale Number of fishers and fishworkers employed in marine fisheries Small-scale

9 million

52 million

Annual catch of marine fish 56 million Percentage of marine catch used for local human consumption 34 million

56%

77%

Capital cost of each job on fishing vessels Annual catch of marine fish for industrial reduction to meal, oil, etc.

$$$$$
US30,000- $300,000

$
US$250- $2,500

About 22 million tonnes

Almost none

Annual fuel oil consumption 14-19 million tonnes Fish caught per tonne of fuel consumed
=

1-3 million tonnes

=

2-5 tones

10-20 tonnes

Fishers employed for each US$1 million invested in fishing vessels

5-30

500- 4,000

Discard rate 13% 3%

Source: International Collective in Support of Fishworkers, c.2010. Small-scale Fisheries (SSF). http://eussf.icsf.net/en/page/606-Small-scale fisheries (SSF).html .24

Artisanal vessels of less than 15 meters or so in length may be built, owned and operated from coastal villages, improving their supplies of food, fish and livelihood opportunities.

Recommendations
With the aim of protecting Pacific tuna fisheries from unsustainable exploitation and instead developing smaller-scale and locally owned fisheries, Greenpeace makes the following recommendations to Pacific Island regional bodies and governments: Increase local benefits from the longline fishery by: introducing mandatory crewing requirements; investigating commercially viable ways of requiring vessels to offload to local processors and exploring regional collaboration to develop opportunities for locally owned smallscale fisheries Ensure that domestic fleets meet the highest standards regarding bycatch mitigation and avoidance Ensure all measures are taken to meet food safety requirements Support the development and marketing effort of local pole & line operators with demonstrated positive impacts on environmental sustainability and local communities by showcasing certified fisheries via official trade conferences or tours and assisting with trading agreements with third parties or export market countries

Develop and implement policies that better manage the tuna fishery:
Exclude large-scale and destructive foreign-owned vessels from national waters or parts thereof and reserve inshore and archipelagic areas for sustainable artisanal tuna fisheries Restrict catches to levels that are environmentally sustainable and economically optimal including through limiting vessel license numbers, requiring vessels to avoid fishing in the high seas which are harder to regulate and monitor and prone to illegal fishing, and banning all transshipments at sea Take grievances against harmful subsidies in the industrial fishing sector, such as for boat building and fuel for fishing, to United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development and to the World Trade Organization Implement all measures to prevent and deter Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing

Develop and implement policies that promote artisanal fisheries:

Reserve inshore and archipelagic areas for sustainable artisanal fisheries only Develop a workable system for managing and regulating artisanal fisheries in close consultation with relevant communities Develop business plans for artisanal fisheries supplying export markets, for example using the Fair Trade model. Support could include exploring models for trade cooperatives to coordinate marketing of artisanal fishing fleets, including for Fair Trade and enabling access to supply chains for high value export markets Develop ongoing systems of training for artisanal fisheries in food safety and business management via regional organisations such as the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA)-sponsored training programs on food safety and quality for small-scale fisheries, and businesses with interests in the success of artisanal fisheries, e.g. seafood export companies hosting training sessions for their artisanal suppliers.

Develop and implement policies that promote Pacific Islander involvement and investment in tuna fisheries:
Remove impediments to domestic fisheries by addressing unfavourable cost structures through taxation reform and setting fisheries access costs higher for distant water than local vessels Improve local participation in opportunities arising from tuna industries by facilitating training in business management and in fishing as a commercial business. Develop an independent, transparent and robust system for regulation, monitoring, consultation and reporting of environmental and social impacts around tuna fishing and processing. In close consultation with local communities develop traceability systems for social and environmental responsibility standards; and work through complexities around businesses operating in village environments, including customary tenure and motivations

Overall, government must work with industry and other stakeholders to raise awareness at all levels about environmentally sustainable and socially responsible tuna fisheries in order to build and sustain market demand for pole and line, handline and other sustainable artisanal tuna fisheries.
Greenpeace / Paul Hilton

Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning organisation that acts to change attitudes and behaviour, to protect and conserve the environment and to promote peace.
For more information, contact: support.au@greenpeace.org greenpeace.org.au Published in August 2013 by: Greenpeace Australia Pacific Level 2, 33 Mountain Street Ultimo NSW 2007 Australia T: +61 2 9281 6100 Printed on 100% recycled paper. Design and Layout: Brandmad Frog Cover Image: Greenpeace / Paul Hilton

This document is a brief for the Transforming Tuna Fisheries in Pacific Island Countries: An Alternative Model of Development report published by Greenpeace Australia Pacific. To view the full report, go to: www.greenpeace.org/australia/redir/Transforming-Tuna/

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