The licensed vessels are flagged in France, the UK, Portugal and Spain and include 3 of the largest and most modern tuna seiners in the world. These Spanish giant vessels, known as “super super” seiners, have the capacity to freeze 200 tons of tuna a day and can hold up to 2,200 tons at a time.

In a year, two of these vessels can take nearly double an entire year's catch for the whole of the Federated States of Micronesia's (FSM) tuna fishing fleet. (2)

"If we don't want to see Yellowfin and Bigeye tuna go the same way as Atlantic Cod, then we need to halve fishing in the region, not increase it," said Lagi Toribau, Greenpeace Ocean campaigner on board the Greenpeace ship, M.Y. Esperanza. "With their own waters fished out, the EU and other foreign fishing fleets including Japan, Korea, Taiwan and the US, are literally sailing across the world to take vital fish and income from people whose lives depend on it." Toribau continued.

The EU is a member of the regional Tuna Commission (Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission), a body whose stated purpose is to protect tuna stocks.

France is also requesting that some of their biggest boats are allowed into the Pacific - including their largest tuna catcher, with a capacity to take 1250 tons a haul.

"Instead of taking responsibility for plundering their own fish stocks, European countries are now trying to rob the Pacific. The EU must pay fairer returns for their licenses, provide greater support for enforcement in the region, and fish responsibly - not further contribute to the Pacific tuna crisis.” said Farah Obaidullah, Greenpeace EU oceans campaigner.

In order to protect Pacific tuna stocks from collapse, Greenpeace is calling for the number of fish caught to be halved, for a ban on construction of any new super-super seiners, and for none of the existing ones to be allowed into the region.

(1). Pacific tuna stocks Yellowfin and Bigeye could face commercial extinction within three years, unless current fishing practices are drastically reduced.
(2). In 2005, FSM's six purse seiner fleet took 28,000 tons. On average the Spanish super-super seiners have been going out 10 times a year, this gives them the capacity to take 22,000 tons each a year.
(3). The "Defending our Oceans” tour is a 15 month global expedition highlighting the beauty of and threats to the world's oceans and calling for a global network of marine reserves covering 40% of the world's oceans.