Some really disappointing news from Kiribati.
The government of the Pacific island nation of Kiribati is reportedly in discussions to open up one of the world’s largest marine reserves to commercial fishing.
The Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA), spanning more than 115,000 square nautical miles adjacent to U.S. waters, could be de-registered as a World Heritage Site and made accessible to commercial fishing if the government’s plan sails through.
LINK (via Maritime Executive)
Disappointing to who? FYI: Kiribati is a 4th world country. All they want to do is live their Pacific Island lives according to their cultural heritage. I’ve been there not once, but twice. I’ve talked to these people. They think global warming is a crock and they hate being the example of a country that is “going underwater” due to fake human caused global warming. They told me it’s not happening. BTW: Tuna are a sustainable wild fish. Let’s not pretend to be “disappointed” and let’s allow them to make their own decisions, not the decisions imposed by western values from the US, UK, Germany, or France or any other 1st world country. Maybe by selling some tuna in a responsible way they can move up to a 3rd world country. Perhaps Moldy Chum should check their woke white privilege before announcing their disappointment.
Those foreign commercial fleets that Kiribati just gave the keys to are not going to fish those waters sustainably and the exploitation of their crews is well documented. This is another example of the increasing Chinese influence on the nation.
ps I’ve been to Kiritimati many times. I won’t bore you with the science work I’ve done on the island tagging giant trevally. I was also on Kiritimati during the last El Nino, the impacts of global climate change on that ecosystem are obvious.