VALLETTA, Malta (DPA) — Greenpeace activists said Saturday that they will undertake “peaceful direct action” to stop tuna fishing in the Mediterranean.

The Greenpeace vessel Rainbow Warrior left Malta last Sunday to wage a “war” against the bluefin tuna fishing season in the Mediterranean, which started two days ago.

Addressing a news conference on board the vessel, Greenpeace campaigner Oliver Knowles said: “Politics and fishery management have failed our oceans and set the bluefin tuna on a one-way path to extinction. Where others have failed, Greenpeace will act.”

He said the Rainbow Warrior was going to take action against “one of the most irresponsible and destructive fishing operations in the world.”

Greenpeace wants the Mediterranean bluefin fishery to be closed immediately and instead have marine reserves to ensure fish stocks recover.

The tuna season is open until June 15, but it can close earlier if fishing companies catch their allocated quota.

Earlier this year, world leaders meeting in Doha, Qatar, turned down a proposal to give bluefin tuna the highest level of protection under the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites), which would have effectively banned bluefin fishing.

Knowles said: “We want sustainable fishing. What we have today in the Mediterranean will lead to the extinction of bluefin tuna, and that will endanger jobs because there will be no more fish to catch in the very near future.”