Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Greenpeace fish conservation campaign taken to American Samoa

Posted at 20:23 on 18 September, 2011 UTC

The Greenpeace ship, the Esperanza, has arrived in American Samoa to launch the next phase of its Defending the Pacific tour with help from Congressman Faleomavaega Eni Hunkin.

Greenpeace is calling for areas off-limits to fishing to be established in four high seas pockets of the Pacific.

Faleomavaega highlights trans-shipping and unregulated pirate fishing in the high seas as doing tremendous harm to local communities and fish stocks.

“If we are to retain a productive and viable future for the Pacific region, we must stop supporting companies, like Chicken of the Sea and Bumblebee, that are damaging our resources and our way of life. Instead we should shift out purchasing power to reward those companies, like Starkist, that are investing in the future of the United States as well as Pacific island nations.”

Faleomaveaega Eni Hunkin