An animation depicting the trail of Pacific tuna destruction was projected this week onto the office building of Sajo Industries in Busan, home to Korea’s distant water fishing fleet, by Greenpeace activists.
Greenpeace says that the South Korean company Sajo is highlighted in the animation for its role in the decline of Pacific tuna stocks and the indiscriminate killing of thousands of sharks, turtles and other marine life unwanted by the industry, but hauled onboard as bycatch.
The organisation says its criticism follows years of failure by the South Korean fishing industry to support sustainable management of Pacific tuna stocks, and claims that last year Korea helped derail a major proposal by Pacific island nations at the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) that would have helped rescue Pacific tuna. Meanwhile, two key species of tuna in the region, bigeye and yellowfin, are now being overfished.
Sajo is the largest fishing company in Korea and the third largest fishing company in the world, with seven purse seiners, 79 longliners and two motherships operating in the Pacific. Greenpeace says that some of Sajo's fishing vessels have been caught in illegal activities.
"We are drawing a line against Sajo’s corporate greed. When our tuna is being depleted by companies to the point of collapse, it is time for governments to intervene and ensure we still have tuna left for the future," said Lagi Toribau, Oceans Campaigner of Greenpeace.
Despite calls from scientists to reduce fish catches since 2001, record numbers of fish have been hauled out of the Pacific in the last three consecutive years.
"Greenpeace is calling on the South Korean government to start properly regulating its fishing fleet, and to fulfil its obligations as a responsible international player. This year, the government has an opportunity to show some leadership by supporting conservation measures at the scientific forum of the Tuna Commission in August and the annual Tuna Commission meeting in December," Toribau added.
