A group of 80, commercial longline fishing enterprises have issued a "Declaration on Responsible Fisheries" with a 12-point plan to ensure the sustainability of the world''s tuna resources. Meeting at the International Fishers Forum and International Conference on Responsible Tuna Fisheries in Yokohama, Japan at the end of July, a statement said they represent thousands of commercial fishermen in North and South America, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and Oceania.

The declaration commits them:

* To facilitate rules to manage tuna fishing capacity based on the principle that any introduction of new fishing capacity should be accompanied with removal of equivalent capacity;

* To improve techniques for using fish aggregation devices (FADs) with the aim of reducing the impact of purse-seine operations on bigeye tuna, especially juveniles;

* To refrain from re-flagging vessels in order to circumvent conservation and management measures;

* To support the Joint Meeting of Tuna Regional Fishery Management Organizations (RFMOs) to be held in Japan in early 2007;

* To ensure conservation and management of shark stocks;

* To reduce incidental catch of sea turtles and seabirds;

* To promote proven techniques for reducing sea turtle incidental catch and improving the survival rates of sea turtles that are caught and released;

* To promote proven techniques for reducing seabird incidental catch;

* To promote responsible tuna fishing, trade, marketing and consumption;

* To reaffirm that the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and RFMOs have primary responsibility for addressing international tuna issues;

* To challenge biased and unscientific accusations that attack environmentally responsible tuna fisheries; and

* To ask the UN and national governments, including Japan and the United States, to support the points outlined in the Declaration.

Some 250 fishermen, researchers, government officials and members of environmental non-governmental organisations from 26 countries attended the joint Conference and Forum hosted by the Tokyo-based Organisation for Responsible Tuna Fisheries (OPRT) and the Honolulu-based Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (WPRFMC).

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