Greenpeace has launched an expedition in the Indian Ocean to peacefully tackle unsustainable fishing by the world’s largest tuna company, Thai Union.
With some tuna stocks such as yellowfin on the brink of collapse due to overfishing, the expedition on board the Esperanza is exposing Thai Union’s allegedly destructive fishing methods which contribute to overfishing and harm a range of marine life including sharks and juvenile tuna. Activists aboard the Esperanza will document and peacefully oppose these practices.
François Chartier, oceans campaigner at Greenpeace France, said: “Hundreds of thousands of people around the world have already called on Thai Union to clean up its act.
“The company has heard that call and while it’s taken small steps in the right direction, Thai Union’s written promises are barely papering the cracks of its fractured image,” he added.
Supplying one-fifth of the world’s tinned tuna, Thai Union owns major brands around the world, including John West (UK and Netherlands), Chicken of the Sea (US), Petit Navire (France), Mareblu (Italy) and Sealect (Thailand).
Recent investigations, including by the New York Times and Associated Press have found labour rights and human rights abuses in Thai Union’s supply chains.
Hundreds of thousands have already backed Greenpeace’s campaign, launched in October 2015, calling on Thai Union to ensure its entire global supply chain is free from human rights abuses.
Greenpeace is calling on Thai Union to put in place strict, comprehensive, and transparent procurement standards across all of its supply chains that guarantee, through third party verification, that all of the seafood it uses is free from human rights and labour abuses.
