The Pacific's environmental agency chief says he has got heartening support for his call to stop fishing fleets dumping waste.
Hours of footage were recorded as part of Operation Achilles, which found discarding of blue moki and elephant fish. Photo: Screenshot / YouTube
SPREP director-general Kosi Latu gave a presentation on marine pollution at the United Nations Oceans Conference in New York.
Mr Latu said over a 12 year period, fisheries observers on board purse-seine vessels in the Pacific reported 10-thousand cases of dumping.
He told the conference that all manner of pollutants were knowingly discarded into the ocean, including plastics, oil and unwanted fishing gear.
But Mr Latu was hopeful change is coming.
"It's heartening to now hear many states and in particular their leaders now recognising and speaking up for this issue, he said."
"It is shocking and alarming because the impact of what this data demonstrates is that we've got to be careful with the fish that we're eating."
Mr Latu said world-wide, fish with ingested plastic contaminants stood at 67 percent.
In the South Pacific, it's 97 percent.