Quantcast
Powered by RebelMouse

Join Me on a Journey to Stop Destructive Tuna Fishing

Greenpeace
Apr. 28, 2016 02:06PM EST Animals

The smell of fish is all around the Greenpeace Esperanza. We’ve been docked in Diego Suarez in Madagascar, getting ready to take on the tuna giant Thai Union—the largest canned tuna company in the world and owner of Chicken of the Sea canned tuna in the U.S.

Children wave to the Esperanza as the ship prepares to depart from the port of Diego Suarez. Photo credit: Will Rose / Greenpeace

Fittingly, there’s a fish processing factory right next to our ship. The symbolism gets even better. As we sail out, there’s a rainbow in the sky.

Tackling the Issues of Unsustainable Tuna Fishing

Greenpeace has been tackling overfishing for years and last fall we appealed to Thai Union and the brands it owns to switch to fish caught sustainably and under humane working conditions. More than 300,000 of you joined that call, making sure Thai Union heard it loud and clear. Now, the Esperanza is riding that incredible wave of support into the Indian Ocean.

Thai Union has tried to fix the dents in its reputation, but the limited steps the company has taken simply aren’t enough. So now we’re back for round two and we need you on board with us once again.

Come On Board as We Sail Off

We’ll be sailing the East African part of the Indian Ocean. This is where the enormous French and Spanish fishing vessels try to catch as much fish as they can in the least amount of time. Many of these vessels supply Thai Union—with that tuna ending up on shelves around the world.

The Esperanza departs from the port of Diego Suarez. Photo credit: Will Rose / Greenpeace

The unsustainable fishing methods of these vessels puts more and more pressure on tuna stocks. They also catch all kinds of other marine life—like sharks—and throw them back into the ocean dead or dying. They call it “bycatch." To make matters worse, they pollute the ocean with ghost nets and a growing number of decoy debris called FADs (fish aggregation devices) meant to lure tuna.

A Daring Change of Tactics

This time we’re taking a different approach. After all, bearing witness doesn't mean we simply document. We’ll be peacefully opposing the destructive practices of these fishing vessels to prevent the indiscriminate harm caused to marine life. We are sailing out to find the fishing boats, expose their fishing methods and clean the Indian Ocean of the FADs we find.

Greenpeace campaigner searches for FADs on the ship's monkey nest. Photo credit: Will Rose / Greenpeace

You can join us! Sign up to receive exclusive updates from the ship and a chance to get in on the action.

A FAD (fish aggregating device) at night. Greenpeace is in the Indian Ocean to document and clean the seas of destructive fishing gear. Photo credit: Will Rose / Greenpeace

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

Trans Mountain Tar Sands Pipeline ‘Final Harpoon’ for Endangered Killer Whales

Activists Scale NYC Landmark, Drop Banner: Pepsi Cola, Cut Conflict Palm Oil

Watch Racing Extinction: It Will Change the Way You View the World

Is the Seafood You Eat Caught by Slaves?

food featured biodiversity animals

EcoWatch Daily Newsletter

vegan

A 16-Week Vegan Diet Can Do Wonders for Your Gut Microbiome

Health + Wellness
A vegan diet can improve your health, but experts say it's important to keep track of nutrients and protein. Getty Images

By Dan Gray

  • Research shows that 16 weeks of a vegan diet can boost the gut microbiome, helping with weight loss and overall health.
  • A healthy microbiome is a diverse microbiome. A plant-based diet is the best way to achieve this.
  • It isn't necessary to opt for a strictly vegan diet, but it's beneficial to limit meat intake.

New research shows that following a vegan diet for about 4 months can boost your gut microbiome. In turn, that can lead to improvements in body weight and blood sugar management.

Read More Show Less
vegan diet nutrition health food
climate strike

Has Climate Consciousness Reached a Tipping Point?

Climate
Students gathered at the National Mall in Washington DC, Sept. 20. NRDC

By Jeff Turrentine

Nearly 20 years have passed since the journalist Malcolm Gladwell popularized the term tipping point, in his best-selling book of the same name. The phrase denotes the moment that a certain idea, behavior, or practice catches on exponentially and gains widespread currency throughout a culture. Having transcended its roots in sociological theory, the tipping point is now part of our everyday vernacular. We use it in scientific contexts to describe, for instance, the climatological point of no return that we'll hit if we allow average global temperatures to rise more than 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. But we also use it to describe everything from resistance movements to the disenchantment of hockey fans when their team is on a losing streak.

Read More Show Less
climate crisis climate change youth climate strike climate strike
Sponsored
nutrition

The 8 Healthiest Berries You Can Eat

Health + Wellness
samael334 / iStock / Getty Images

By Ruairi Robertson, PhD

Berries are small, soft, round fruit of various colors — mainly blue, red, or purple.

Read More Show Less
nutrition food health diet
covering climate now

What's the Difference Between Global Warming and Climate Change?

Climate
A glacier is seen in the Kenai Mountains on Sept. 6, near Primrose, Alaska. Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey have been studying the glaciers in the area since 1966 and their studies show that the warming climate has resulted in sustained glacial mass loss as melting outpaced the accumulation of new snow and ice. Joe Raedle / Getty Images

By Mark Mancini

On Aug. 18, Iceland held a funeral for the first glacier lost to climate change. The deceased party was Okjökull, a historic body of ice that covered 14.6 square miles (38 square kilometers) in the Icelandic Highlands at the turn of the 20th century. But its glory days are long gone. In 2014, having dwindled to less than 1/15 its former size, Okjökull lost its status as an official glacier.

Read More Show Less
covering climate now climate crisis climate change glaciers
covering climate now

Whose Grid? Our Grid! Chicago’s Campaign to Put Electricity Under Public Control

Energy
Members of Chicago Democratic Socialists of America table at the Logan Square Farmers Market on Aug. 18. Alex Schwartz

By Alex Schwartz

Among the many vendors at the Logan Square Farmers Market on Aug. 18 sat three young people peddling neither organic vegetables, gourmet cheese nor handmade crafts. Instead, they offered liberation from capitalism.

Read More Show Less
covering climate now climate change climate crisis renewable energy chicago politics
Sponsored
nutrition

5 Healthy Muffin Recipes to Replace Your Old Favorites

Health + Wellness
StephanieFrey / iStock / Getty Images

By Lauren Panoff, MPH, RD

Muffins are a popular, sweet treat.

Read More Show Less
nutrition food health diet recipes
climate crisis

I’m a Psychotherapist – Here’s What I’ve Learned From Listening to Children Talk About Climate Change

Insights + Opinion
Hackney primary school students went to the Town Hall on May 24 in London after school to protest about the climate emergency. Jenny Matthews / In Pictures / Getty Images

By Caroline Hickman

Eco-anxiety is likely to affect more and more people as the climate destabilizes. Already, studies have found that 45 percent of children suffer lasting depression after surviving extreme weather and natural disasters. Some of that emotional turmoil must stem from confusion — why aren't adults doing more to stop climate change?

Read More Show Less
children kids climate change climate crisis climate emergency eco-anxiety
birds

Birds Populations Are Rapidly Declining in North America

Animals
Myrtle warbler. Gillfoto / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0

Bird watching in the U.S. may be a lot harder than it once was, since bird populations are dropping off in droves, according to a new study.

Read More Show Less
biodiversity birds animals wildlife