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Although the Coles eco tin was not certified it flagged a new phase that saw an

interest in certain locations for sourcing sustainable tuna and a focus on traditional

technologies. In chapters two and three I further my analysis of this sustainability crisis,

including the specific responses and institutional involvement. For now I would like to situate

sustainability as a new phase in the historically dynamic tuna industry that I have described in

this chapter.

Within this new phase the Maldives has emerged as a key location for sourcing

sustainable tuna and as a model sustainable fishery. Greenpeace’s report Transforming Tuna

Fisheries in Pacific Island Countries attests to this by drawing on lessons from the Maldives

to advocate for the redevelopment of a socially and ecologically sustainable pole and line

fishing industry in the Pacific Islands (Barclay 2013, p. 26). The Maldivian skipjack fishery

is appealing because, unlike most global tuna fisheries, it has undergone little technological

development and continues to use traditional pole and line gear. History and geography have

a lot to do with this. Situated in the Indian Ocean, the Maldives is an archipelago made up of

1,187 islands stretched over 107,000 square kilometres. By virtue of its seascape the

Maldives has a long fishing history (particularly for tuna species), and fish is the basic source

of protein for most people (FAO 2009). There is evidence that tuna fishing was important

prior to the conversion to Islam in AD1153-4 (MRS 1996, p. 2). Today tuna fishing continues

to play an important socio-economic role. In 2008 fishery products made up 99% of national

exports; the industry employed around 14,100 fishermen; and generated an estimated 6,000

jobs in secondary sectors such as processing, marketing and administration (FAO 2009). In

light of the fact that the Maldives imports most food, apart from seafood products, it is no

wonder that the government has protected the fishing industry by maintaining tight

restrictions on foreign fleets entering their EEZ. For example, purse seines are unable to enter

the 200 nautical mile (nm) zone (Barclay 2013, p. 25), and up until recently longlines could

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