The crew of the Esperanza, still out patrolling the Pacific against the overfishing of tuna, just sent us this video update. They have been monitoring and confiscating fish aggregating devices (FADs) where ever they come across them. FADs are still being widely used by tuna fishing fleets throughout the Pacific Ocean - despite their use being illegal for most nations over the summer months.
This video explains how FADs work, and how their use results in the bycatch of many juvenile and unwanted species - contributing to the depletion of fish stocks and threatening vulnerable marine life. Their impact can be so serious that the scientific committee of the WCPFC (Western & Central Pacific Fisheries Commission) recommended in August this year that a 100% ban on FADs be investigated by its member states. This is really a big step and the first indication that there could be serious momentum developing following our call for a ban on FADs at the last WCPFC meeting in December.
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