Foreign tuna industry power brokers blocked developing nations trying to protect tuna stocks in their own waters at a key international fisheries meeting that closed today in Brisbane.

"The meeting was a disgrace. Foreign tuna industries are preventing Pacific Island countries from protecting their tuna by not agreeing to a timely process or criteria to cut the number of boats on the water to a sustainable level," said Duncan Williams, Greenpeace Pacific Oceans Campaigner.

"There are simply too many boats chasing too few fish," he said.

The five tuna fisheries management organizations from around the world came together at the Kobe II meeting in Brisbane this week seeking solutions to the problem of 'overcapacity' in tuna fishing, accepting that the number of fishing vessels on the water far outweigh the availability of tuna.

Over 20 million boats are fishing the oceans. The foreign states own over 95% of the vessels fishing in Pacific waters using improved technologies such as FADs (Fish Aggregation Devices) and purse seine nets that is capable of catching up to 3000 tonnes of tuna on one trip.

"If we continue to fish at this rate we are going to empty our oceans," said Duncan Williams.

"Today foreign fishing industries have literally hijacked discussions to protect pacific tuna and have ultimately put at stake the livelihoods and economies of dependant Pacific island communities that still use canoes and a pole and line to catch their fish ." he went on to say

Last month, a UN report predicted that world fish stocks would collapse by 2050.

The failure of international decision-makers to address over fishing has prompted Greenpeace to call for urgent action by consumers and retailers to step up their role in saving the world’s favorite fish - tuna.

"Greenpeace is calling for consumers and tuna retailers around the world to take action and stop the trade of endangered species of tuna. If we don't, we will eat Bluefin, Yellowfin and Bigeye tuna out of existence, and kill endangered turtles and sharks with destructive tuna fishing methods such as fish aggregation devices," he said.

Greenpeace is campaigning for sustainable and equitable fisheries and a global network of fully protected marine reserves, covering 40% of our oceans. Marine reserves are essential to ensure clean and healthy oceans and protect marine life from over fishing and habitat destruction. Greenpeace, 02/07/10.