Greenpeace says tuna consumers, traders and investors must now step in to make up for inaction over dwindling stocks from the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission.
The agency which is also known as the Tuna Commission, wound up five days of talks last week without agreement on rules to halt the decline of bigeye tuna which is at 16 percent of unfished levels.
Lagi Toribau of Greenpeace Australia Pacific says there was frustration at the narrow-minded concerns of distant water fishing nations like China, Taiwan and Korea which shot down the conservation proposals put up by Pacific Island countries.
Mr Toribau says companies should shun fleets which are exacerbating the plunder of Pacific fisheries.
"We cannot expect this Tuna Commission to deliver these fisheries out of the doomsday that they're in. I think this is about time that we take extra measures outside of this Commission and that this also extends to consumers. I think that we all fundamentally now have a responsibility to be able to take action to save this fishery."
Lagi Toribau of Greenpeace Australia Pacific.
Chinese fishing boats tie up in Suva Photo: RNZ / Philippa Tolley
