More from Liz onboard the Rainbow Warrior as the crew monitor the overfishing of bluefin tuna in the seas around Malta.
An old Maltese fisherman leans over the rails in his string vest, gesticulating passionately as his son translates for us. As we speed back to the Rainbow Warrior we hear his son shout after us, "Take care of our tuna, because they are going to exterminate them!"
We've been sailing in the central Mediterranean bluefin tuna fishing grounds to monitor the end of the purse seine fishing season, and to ensure the closure of the fishery is properly enforced. The Mediterranean Sea is key to the survival of the Atlantic northern bluefin tuna.
Every year the fish come to reproduce in the warm waters, and every year an uncontrolled fleet of fishing vessels races to catch as many tuna as they can, encircling huge schools with purse-seine nets. Bluefin tuna fetches a very high price and the demand in Asia is seemingly insatiable. This combination has lead to the bluefin tuna fishery being the most profitable in the world and having the highest level of illegal fishing. The biggest culprits are the huge commercial purse-seiners who can take 150 tonnes of tuna in one catch.
During the past few days we have been carrying out inspections of boats, checking that they are legally licensed to fish. Many of the boats we have encountered are very small and belong to local fishermen from Malta or Tunisia. They've been eager to share their grief at the current situation in their fishing grounds, and we've heard some pretty sad stories. These guys come from a long line of fishermen who've fished here for generations, but are now struggling to find fish in a sea that was once plentiful. Some have had to abandon fishing altogether and now drive tugs instead. Some of these tugs pull floating cages full of live tuna, caught by commercial purse-seiners, to stock fattening-farms around the Med. The sushi market likes their tuna extra fat!
The fisherman calling after us this morning was one of many who see the commercial trawlers as the enemy, having destroyed their way of life. We thought there was a strong chance that on approaching these fishing boats we would be met with aggression - this has been the case with many fishermen in the past. But in fact the complete opposite has happened. On each of my trips out to visit boats these local men have seemed pleased to see us, eager to talk, and on several occasions we have had to politely decline generous gifts from today's catch!
It is becoming clearer and clearer that Greenpeace and the small-scale fisherman are on the same side. We have a common enemy, the commercial fishing fleets that are decimating the ocean and pushing a species to the edge of extinction.
We’ve been hearing reports that there are bigger vessels trawling for tuna to the west of here. We’re on our way. I have a feeling that our next encounter may not be quite as friendly!
