UN Declares ‘World Tuna Day’
The United Nations will mark its calendar every May 2 to remind people about the need to protect a precious resource that is food for tens of millions.
Fear not, skipjack. Swim confidently, bigeye. Live long and prosper, Atlantic bluefin.
The United Nations General Assembly has voted unanimously that every May 2 will be “World Tuna Day.”
“The ocean is the lifeblood of our planet,” the assembly’s president, H.E. Mr. Peter Thomson, said last week. “It is a vital and complex ecosystem that billions of people depend on for their livelihoods, food security, cultural identity and traditions. We are all united by the ocean — with its boundless energy, indispensable trade routes, and marine resources feeding our communities.”
And yet, Thomson had this warning, too: “As we meet, however, our beloved ocean is in peril, and its state of health is threatening humanity’s sustainable place on this planet.”
And then this:
The over-exploitation of fish stocks, and pollution from fertilizers, plastics, and waste, are diminishing its resources, while climate change is exerting enormous pressure on the ocean as well as coasts, and marine ecosystems. Rising sea-levels, ocean acidification, increasing deoxygenation, and a reduced mixing of ocean water are exacerbating challenges, while the changing interaction between the ocean and atmosphere is affecting our climate, weather and air quality.
Other days of note on the UN’s calendar include World Environment Day on 5 June and World Ocean Day on 8 June.
Speaking of tuna, my colleague Nathan Eagle recently reported from Fiji about efforts to control overfishing:
Tuna Commission’s ‘Glacial’ Pace Suits Some In Industry Just Fine
Uncertainty Over Trump Won’t Derail Palau’s Marine Reserve Plans
Bula! Pacific Tuna Commission Gets To Work On Fishing Policies
(Of note: Here at Civil Beat, some of us celebrate Poke Bowl Day every day.)
