Tuna is one of the most sought-after fish species, on the verge of becoming dangerously scarce after four decades of overfishing. A sustainable fishery industry can help replenish the tuna stock in the ocean while at the same time guarantee food security and the livelihood of coastal communities in Asia and the Pacific.
$1 billion annually: The Asia Pacific region's tuna industry, one of the largest in the world, is estimated at $1 billion annually and directly employs more than 6 million people.
Source: Ecological Footprint and Investment in Natural Capital in Asia and the Pacific.
30%: In Asia, fish provide 30% of the animal protein in a typical diet. Fishing and related industries provide either the main or a supplementary source of employment, livelihood and income for many of the region's poor.
Source: WorldFish Center
2/3: Of the 126 million tonnes of fish available for human consumption in 2009, consumption in Asia accounted for two-thirds.
Source: World Review of Fish and Aquaculture. FAO 2012.
Around 85%: Number of global fish stocks that are over-exploited, depleted, fully exploited or in recovery from exploitation.
Source: How the world's oceans could be running out of fish. 21 Sept 2012.
50%: If current trends continue, the ability of reef systems to provide food for coastal populations in Asia and the Pacific is predicted to decrease by 50% by 2050.
Source: Ecological Footprint and Investment in Natural Capital in Asia and the Pacific.
2009: Leaders from six Asia-Pacific countries - Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste - sign a historic inter-state agreement adopting a regional plan of action plan for a Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFF). The initiative aims to improve the management of coastal and marine resources in an area known as the "Amazon of the seas."
Source: Coral Triangle Initiative Brochure
$300 million: Resources are being mobilized from a variety of sources and potential partners to support new activities under the action plan for a Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security.
Source: Coral Triangle Initiative Brochure
70%: Many large retailers are now demanding that products carry a reliable eco-label such as that of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) - an independent non-profit organization which sets standard for sustaining fishing. Thanks to certification, eight tuna canners accounting for 70% of the world market have committed to making management of the world's tuna fisheries more sustainable.
Source: Ecological Footprint and Investment in Natural Capital in Asia and the Pacific.
2012: The growing incentives to join the MSC are capturing the interest of fisheries across the globe. In the western and central Pacific, the area covering the Parties to the Nauru Agreement is now the world's largest certified free school purse seine tuna.
Source: Marine Stewardship Council Annual Report 2011/2012.
0.7%: As of February 2012, 0.7% of global tuna is caught sustainably and is MSC certified. This is a good start, but clearly there is great scope for expansion of sustainable fisheries.
Source: Better Production for a Living Planet.
