23 Jul 2007

Cook Islands Prime Minister supports moves to lower tuna catch

9:48 am on 23 July 2007

The Cook Islands prime minister, Jim Marurai, says he supports in principle a campaign by Greenpeace to save Pacific tuna and to immediately reduce the catch by 50 percent.

Mr Marurai met with the organisation's Pacific Oceans team leader Nilesh Goundar and Greenpeace International Oceans campaigner Sari Tolvanen last week.

Greenpeace says the western and central Pacific ocean tuna fishery is the most productive in the world and that about half of the total global tuna supply was caught there from 1994 to 2004.

The delegation briefed the Cook Islands prime minister on its four point plan.

Jim Marurai says he supports in principle the campaign.

"They asked me if I could help convince other Pacific leaders and I said I will try, if I can."