The Swimming Market
It can be one of the sea's largest edible fish, and also one of it's most expensive. Tuna has been a staple of the Pacific economy for decades, commanding exorbitant prices in Japanese and Chinese fish markets which, in turn, ship the product around the world. Eight island nations announced in early February that they felt their share of the profits was being unfairly scooped away by rival fishermen who, they claim, catch much of their tuna inside the zones legally set aside for the islanders themselves.
In a report from the Australia Broadcasting Company, nations stretching from Papua New Guinea to the Marshall Islands announced that their annual take of the harvest, which amounts to roughly 5 percent of the total market, is too low. To rectify the situation, they vow to meet in New Zealand to discuss ways to profit from their undersea commodities, and to make sure that they are returned a share of the proceeds from every fish caught in their national waters. ABC also reported that the countries will seek cooperation in fishing and- in an important declaration in an often frenzied market- will attempt to introduce sustainable practices into their fishing.
-Equatorial Press Staff Report. Photo Courtesy of Lazslo Ilyes.
