Greenpeace has called on Thai Union and the fishing industry to step up its fight against destructive and illegal fishing practices.
This came at the 14th Infofish World Tuna Trade and Conference on 23 May 2016 in Thailand.
Graham Forbes, global seafood markets project leader for Greenpeace USA, said: “People around the world have been mounting pressure on Thai Union to step up and walk the talk.”
“We need to see real change in Thai Union’s practices and not just vague pledges on the company’s website.”
Thai Union has been plagued by human rights and environmental abuse scandals and was again the target of global protests at the conference.
With the Thai Union being accused of failing to deliver on sustainability programme for its global supply chains, dubbed the Sea Change Programme, Greenpeace has demanded that it provides clear timelines and milestones.
It argued that Thai Union should detail the steps it will take to change its supply chain and stop overfishing, destructive fishing practices like shark finning, and illegal fishing operations, which are often intertwined with labour and human rights abuses.
“Thai Union must eliminate destructive fishing practices, and protect human rights and labour standards - right down to the level of the fishing vessels themselves,” said Anchalee Pipattanawattanakul, oceans campaigner for Greenpeace Southeast Asia.
“We will not stop until it can verify its supply chain is clean and traceable from net to plate.”
A Greenpeace ship, Esperanza, is currently in the Indian Ocean removing destructive fishing gear, including FADs belonging to Thai Union’s suppliers. A petition demanding Thai Union and its customers take action has gathered over 370,000 signatures.
Ms Pipattanawattanakul, concluded: “The world is watching to see if Thai Union will finally use its market leadership to transform the global tuna industry and ensure that the world’s oceans are healthy and thriving, with workers fairly treated and duly compensated. That is the real change we want to see.”
