Overfishing is as big a threat to humanity as it is to our oceans | Dermot O'Gorman

As market leader John West commits to sustainably sourced tuna, WWF Australia CEO says the move will drive fishery reform, helping to provide food security for Pacific islanders as well as save vulnerable marine species

There has never been a more urgent time for seafood businesses and fishing nations to make a commitment to sustainability. The world's oceans are in trouble, with marine life plummeting and the people who are dependent on the sea for income and food left increasingly vulnerable. Data shows populations of fish and other marine vertebrates, including marine mammals, reptiles and birds have halved since 1970.

Fourteen years ago when I was based with WWF in the Pacific - where most of Australia's tuna is sourced - I saw first hand the stress that was being placed on the ocean ecosystems. Valuable fish stocks were declining as foreign fishing nations began eyeing the western and central Pacific's tuna stocks as their next goldmine.