The next leg of the Defending Our Oceans expedition takes the Esperanza into the island dotted vastness of the Pacific.  In an area of water Planet’s total landmass combined; the crew will highlight the problems of tuna overfishing, and pirate fishing.  More than half the tuna consumed worldwide comes from here.  Yet, our research warns that Pacific Bigeye tuna and Yellowfin tuna will be critically overfished within three years.


The money and the tuna

"We are sucking the oceans dry," continued Toribau.  "Unless drastic action is taken now then Bigeye and Yellowfin face commercial extinction within three years, and then all we will see is empty nets. Instead of taking responsibility for overfishing their own waters, rich industrialised nations, are moving into other areas, such as the Pacific. Travelling thousands of miles, they use boats that can take as much in 2 days, as our local fleets can take in a year."

In the Pacific, foreign fishing fleets from distant countries such as Japan, USA, Taiwan, China, Philippines and the EU take 90 percent of the tuna catch, and 95 percent of the US$2 billion the fish is worth on the global market. Pirate fishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, is also rife in the region. Pirates give nothing back and leave a trail of environmental destruction in their wake.