Greenpeace video reveals horrific fishing methods to catch tuna

A shocking new video campaign produced by environmentalist group Greenpeace claims to show cruel and “unnecessary” methods used to catch tuna, killing thousands of sharks, dolphins and rare sea creatures in the process. The group claim that two of the UK’s biggest distributors of tuna, John West and Princes, still use the method to catch their fish, despite other major supermarkets opting for alternative methods. The video, published on Tuesday, shows fisheries in the UK, Italy and Australia using fish aggregating devices (FADs) to catch tuna in the Indian Ocean – large mechanical nets designed to catch thousands of tuna fish at a time.

The fish aggregating devices are designed to attract tuna but they also attract all sorts of other marine life.

Greenpeace oceans campaigner Nathaniel Pelle

According to Greenpeace, less than a quarter of Princes’ tuna is free from FADs, despite a promise to go 100 per cent FAD-free by the end of 2014, while John West have allegedly backtracked on their promise to cease using the method. It is estimated around two-thirds of all seine tuna, including the yellowfin and bigeye variations, are caught using FADs, despite warnings from international bodies including the European Union, who have warned that the method reduces the biological reproduction of tuna. Campaigners urge fishermen to use the “pole and line” method to catch fish, used in countries such as Senegal and Indonesia.

Send a message now to Princes and John West to tell them to stop killing sharks, turtles and rays. They must keep their word and protect our oceans.

Greenpeace

Asia-Pacific greenpeace tuna